Endgame
by binkysbookshelf
Summary: Meet Billy the Blacksmith as we witness my view of the final chapters of the Walking Dead saga. . .because we all know things can change in a Georgia minute. This is my first fan fiction. Reviews would really help. Not your typical fan fiction. . .this one has a bit of a bite.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The walker snarled as Daryl's arrow popped into it's eye socket. The small group of friends stood ready in a circle in the middle of the street. It had been a quiet day, without many incidents. It seemed as if the number of walkers they

had encountered during the last week had fallen off dramatically, which couldn't have happened at a better time, because everyone was tired and just a bit grumpy. They had been on the road for three straight weeks, and they had

finally found a seemly safe place to stay for awhile. . .a nice little storybook town, with paved streets and sidewalks. Rick warned everyone not to get complacent, due to the low number of walkers they had encountered since arriving here, and the crew knew the drill only too well.

Beth and Maggie ran out of the store ruins, carrying bags of merchandise. and joined the others. Rick glanced at the large, black bags the girls carried.

"Find anything good?" he asked, still looking over the sights of his rifle.

"Some. . ." answered Maggie, as the crew began to relax a little.

"Uh. . .ya know, I'll feel better once we're a little less out in the open." said Daryl nervously.

"Yeah. . .everything seems a little too quiet." Rick agreed. "Guess we best keep movin'."

The small group lowered their weapons, and proceeded down the middle of the street. These small towns were like little gold mines for scavengers. Sure, everything had been greatly picked over, but every now and then they found goodies. Especially rarities like any kind of canned meat, vegetables, bottled water or soup. The best finds were when they snatched anything sweet. For some reason, those were the items that seemed to disappear first. And it was always about food. Everything else was secondary.

Carl increased his gait to catch up with Beth. "Find anything good?" he asked.

Beth smiled, "A little. . .nothing major."

"Any chocolate?" he grinned.

"No," she wrinkled her nose. ". . .found a few bullets, though. . .and a couple of shotgun shells."

"Well. . .what's in the bags, then?"

She smiled, "Wouldn't you like to know, Mr. Man!" She slowed down to let Maggie catch up, as Carl sped up to meet his father.

"Is he bein' nosy again?" Maggie giggled.

"Yup, just can't seem to mind his own bees-wax." Beth smiled.

"You'd think he'd-a learned by now. . ."

They walked along for awhile, then Carl looked at Rick and said, "Uh, Dad. . .d'ya think that. . .maybe, sometime soon. . .uh. . .y' think you could, maybe. . .teach me how to. . .uh. . .teach me how to drive?"

Rick stopped in the middle of the road and just looked at his son. After a few moments, he shook his head. "You want to learn how to drive. . ."

He smiled, "Yes, sir. . .I guess I could be a bigger help. . ."

Rick interrupted him. "Now, don't ya think you might still be a just a little bit young. . ."

This time Carl interrupted him. "What is the legal age to drive now. . .y'know. . .since. . .?"

Daryl and Glen snickered under their breath. They walked along in silence for awhile, then Carl continued.

"Uh. . .Y'know, I've got a birthday comin' up."

Rick stood dumb-founded in silence for a bit. Daryl and Glen burst out laughing at the look on his face.

"The boy does have a point. . .guess the new legal age is about five." Daryl laughed.

Rick looked down at the road for a moment, and then said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Tell ya what. . .the next town we stop in for a bit, we'll give it a try."

"Where is the D. M. V. nowadays?" chuckled Glen.

"Always hated that place. . ." said Daryl.

They didn't see any more walkers until they picked a house to camp in. Even then, there was only one or two, and they went down quickly. It felt good to be indoors, and out of the elements. But it bothered Rick that there were so few of the dead. Everything just seemed too still. . .and Rick told Daryl and Glen about it.

"I don't know why, but I just don't like it. It just ain't right. Things are way too quiet. . .hasn't been this quiet since the whole damn thing started."

"You're right," said Glen. "I'm afraid they'll all congregating somewhere. . .then hit us again in force like at Herschel's. . ."

"Well," said Daryl, "why don't we just ring the dinner bell and see what pops up?"

"I saw a lawn mover in the shed," said Glen. "That oughta be loud enough."

Daryl agreed. "Let's find some gas and make some noise. If they don't come a-runnin', maybe we could take a day or two off.

Glen grinned, "Sounds like a plan, Stan."

Daryl bumped Carl on the shoulder. "It's you and me on guard." he said as he raised his crossbow. "Lock and load!"

The boys drained some gas from the old car in the neighboring driveway, and got the riding mover started quickly.

"Hey, Carl. . .you wanted to learn how to drive, right?"

Carl winced. "Uh. . .yeah?"

"Well, I guess this is your first lesson." Glen explained how to use the mover, then turned Carl loose.

"Y'know, he'd be complaining about this if he had to do it." Daryl laughed.

"We had a push mover when I was a kid. I'd go through the neighborhood, tryin' to make enough money to go to the movies on weekends."

Daryl snickered. "Me and Meryl would buy old junk movers, and fix 'em up to sell to skinny little snot-nosed teenagers, tryin' to get enough money to go to the movies."

"What did you do with your cash?"

"Hell if I know. . .Merle would always take it from me. . .I guess to buy beer."

Carl finished the front yard quickly, and moved on to the neighbor's. By the time it started getting dark, Carl had finished all the front yards on both sides of the street. And still, not a walker to be seen. Not one.

After a dinner of Spam and baked beans, the guys gathered in the living room. Glen unfolded a map and set it on the floor. The candlelight danced in the breeze, and made it hard to see. Daryl squinted, "So, Rick. . .what d'ya

think?"

"Well," said Rick, "We've been North and South. . .so, I guess tomorrow, we'll move east."

"Guess that'll work. . .nothin' goin' on here, anyway."

Glen spoke up. "Hey, did you notice all the well-manicured yards on the street?"

"Not to mention the lack of walkers. It's kind-a weird." said Daryl.

"Let's hope it stays that way." sneered Rick. "We're gettin' low on ammo, anyway."

Glen looked at the holes in his tee shirt, then over to Carl, who was sporting an extra large one near his collar. "Maybe we can find a clothing store. . .looks like Carl 'n me could use a major make-over."

"Yeah, and maybe we could find a new car dealership!" Carl piped in.

Rick laughed. "Hold on there, Carl. Best learn in a beat-up one, just in case. . ."

Suddenly, the door from the kitchen burst open, and the girls, laughing at the top of their lungs, carried in a cake with a burning candle on the top. Everyone started singing 'Happy Birthday' as Carl's eyes grew large.

"Michonne made the cake, Carl." Maggie laughed.

"First one I've made since. . ." Michonne seemed embarrassed.

"Well, son," said Rick, softly. "Make a wish."

Carl closed his eyes, then took a deep breath, and blew out the candle.

Glen smiled, "Well, Carl. . .What d'ya wish for?"

Daryl seemed to get serious for a moment. But, then, Daryl always seemed serious. "What do you mean, Glen? There's only one thing to wish for. . ."

"And, what would that be?"

Daryl grinned, then said, very 'matter-of-factly', "Beer!"

Carol said, "Daryl!" very disapprovingly.

Carl chimed in. "Hey, Dad. . .what is the legal drinking age these days?"

Rick shook his head. "Now, don't you try to be growin' up too fast, now."

Carl glared at Rick, as if to say, "My childhood is all fucked up already. . ."

"Aw, shit, Carol," Daryl said. "Who'd wanna drink a hot beer, anyway?"

It turned into a wonderful evening. Everyone ate the best chocolate cake. . .Beth and Maggie sang the most beautiful songs. And there were presents! Somehow, the girls had found a new outfit for Carl. . .consisting of a new pair of Levi's that fit better than perfect, and some new white tee-shirts: so white, they almost glowed in the dark. He got two other tee shirts, too. . .but they were black. One had a great, big smiling skull on it, and the other had a girl walker on the front, and said "Night of the Living Dead" under the picture. Carl put that on one over his shirt.

Daryl looked at it, then back at Rick. "Humph. . .Who would-a thought. . ."

"Yeah," said Rick. "I saw this one at the drive-in." He stood up. "Scared the hell out of me." He pinched Carl on the cheek and smiled. "Scared your mother, too."

The girls were sitting on the floor, playing with Judith, when, suddenly, she pointed her finger at the boy, and said, "Carl". They got excited, the girls started laughing and clapping their hands.

"Rick?" said Carol. "Judith just said her first word!"

He walked over and picked the baby up. Again, she pointed her finger and said, "Carl!"

"Yes, Judith. . .that's Carl, your brother. And who am I?"

Judith made a strange face, and Rick realized that she had just filled her diaper. It took the lasting smell of the fresh cut grass and wonderful cake out of the room, and replaced it with. . .

Carol awoke first. She started looking into the cabinets and drawers. She gasped as she pulled out an unopened pound of coffee. "Coffee. . .oh my god!" She pulled out a knife and opened the container, then, immediately smelled it.

"Oh, wow. . .real coffee! And it smells fresh."

She found an old peculator, and, she had a pot going in no time at all. She gave the first cup to Glen, as he had been on watch. She poured the second for herself. She continued to look through the cabinets, and found some non-diary creamer and sugar.

Rick was up next. "My, my. . .something smells really familiar in here."

Carol giggled, "Look, Rick! We've got coffee! Real Coffee!"

Rick took the cup and smelled it. "Wow!" he said, "been a long time." He closed his eyes and sipped a little. "Mmmm!"

"There's even creamer and sugar on the counter." Carol sounded absolutely giddy about it.

Beth and Michonne wondered into the kitchen. "Is that coffee I smell?" Michonne said, as Carol handed out the cups.

Rick smiled, then walked outside. He asked Glen if he had seen anything during the night. Glen told him 'nothing that needed killing'. "Well," Rick said, "Why don't we take a little stroll around the neighborhood and see what's happening."

"Yeah, It'd be nice to take a day or two off to rest up." Glen said, "I'm kind of exhausted. Besides, this place seems nice. Quiet, y'know. . ."

"Yeah," Rick agreed. "That's what bothers me."

They walked two blocks up, an two blocks over, and hadn't seen any walkers at all. "You know what bothers me about this?"

"What's that?" said Glen.

"Where's all the bodies? Everywhere we've been, there's always been bodies, or walkers injured so they couldn't walk anymore. But here, there's no walkers. . .no bodies. . .just nothin'. . .like it's all been cleaned up, or somethin'."

"Hey, Rick. . .look over there. Is that. . .?"

"Well, I'll be. . ." said Rick, as they walked over to what seemed to be a little neighborhood store. Sure, it was tiny. . .but it seemed to be untouched. Glen cupped his hands to eliminate the glare from the glass.

"Rick, it looks like the shelves are full."

Rick said, "Well, let's find out. . ." And with that, Rick kicked the front door open with a thud. Next came the sound of the glass from the door breaking. They rushed into the store with their guns up and ready. After a quick scan of the room, they stopped. There was no sound. . .just silence. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, and when they did, the first thing that Rick noticed was a whole shelf of baby food. There were a couple of boxes in the floor; like they were stalking the shelves when they had to leave suddenly.

"Check this out!" whispered Glen. "A case of chili and a case of beef stew!" There was so much stuff for such a little store. Medicine. . .little tins of fish. . .vienna sausage and deviled ham. There was powdered and condensed milk, and cases and cases of sodas.

Rick said, "Let's see if we can't find a car to load up with. It'd be easier than trying to carry this stuff a little at a time." There were lots of cars, one or two in almost every driveway. The weird part was this. . .although there was a plethora of automobiles, there was no gas. It was like every car on the street had been siphened off. Eventually, they found an old Chevrolet Caprice inside a garage with a little less than a quarter tank. The battery was almost dead, but they got lucky and it had just enough juice to turn over.

The boys loaded up the car, then closed and braced the door, just in case they needed to make another run. When they got back to the house, Rick called everyone together. "We've made a long, hard run. . .pushed ourselves somethin' awful, to get to this point. In case ya'll haven't noticed, we ain't seen very many walkers over the last few days. I was just thinkin' that maybe we could take a couple of days off, and just rest up for awhile. Then, once we're strong again, we can get back on the road. Does that sound good to you guys, or do you wanna keep movin'?"

Michonne said, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'd love to sleep in a bed again. I'm just a little afraid I'd get use to it, and get soft."

"Aw, hell, Michonne. . .I don't think you could ever get soft again. I know the hell I couldn't." said Daryl, in his usual fashion.

"A couple of days would be really nice," said Carol. "Especially since we've got coffee."

"Well, that's the other thing. Glen and I found a little store that looks like it hadn't been touched. There's a ton of stuff out in the car, so why don't we unload that, then take inventory of what's left. After that. . .a couple of days off sounds really good to me."

"All in favor?" said Glen, grinning.

It was unanimous.

The first two days were spent being lazy. Everyone took lots of naps, or spent the time relaxing with a book or a glass of sweet tea, lounging in the sun. And everyone ate better than they had since Herschel's' farm.

Finally, Carl just couldn't take it anymore.

"Uh, Dad," he winced. "Do ya think that, maybe, I could get that driving lesson now?"

Rick put his head down for a second, then, looked up and smiled. "I always knew that this day would come. You are becoming quite the young man. Guess I just hate to admit that you're growing up." He shook his head. "Well, I guess we might as well get on with it. Let's go."

Rick pulled the car out into the street. Then, the two switched sides as Daryl watched from the small porch.

Carl was obviously excited.

"Okay, son. . .Now, I'm going to go over everything with you like you don't know nothin'. That way, I'm sure that you've learned everything correctly. I'm sure you already know a lot, but just bear with me. Okay?"

Sure, dad. . .you bet."

Okay, then. . .the first thing to remember is that this is no toy. It's about two tons of metal that can come flying at you at a great amount of speed, so you must always respect it. A car is a wonderful tool, if you use it correctly. But it can also be dangerous to the driver, the passingers, and to everyone in the vicinity. Do you understand this?"

Carl's eyes grew wide. "Yes, sir. . .absolutely."

"Okay. . .now look down at your feet. You see that there is three pedals?"

"Yes, sir."

"You see that long pedal? That's called the accelerator, and that is what makes the car go. The further down you press it, the more gas it sends to the carburetor, and the faster you go. Now, the pedal beside that is the brake. You

use that when you want to slow down or stop. Now, it's best if you get in the habit of only using your right foot to accelerate or to stop. That way, you're not giving it the gas at the same time you are planning to stop."

"Okay," said Carl. "right foot only."

"Another good habit to get into is always putting on your seatbelt whenever you sit down in a car. Seatbelts save lives. Believe me, I've seen enough wreaks to know. . ."

Carl quickly put on his seatbelt. "Check!"

"That little pedal all the over to the left is your emergency brake. Do you know when you use that?"

"In an emergency?" guessed Carl.

"Yeah, well. . .You can, I guess, if your regular brakes fail. Usually, you just use that if you're, like, parking on a hill. It gives that extra stop that can cause your car to not roll down a hill. Also, when ever you park on a hill, you turn the

steering wheel so that, if the car should roll, it'll just go into the curb. Understand?"

Carl seemed a little lost. "Uh. . .yeah, I guess. . ."

"Well, never mind that, for right now." He continued, "Okay, now look up here above the steering column. You see the letters, P. R. N. D. L., right? Well, the 'P' stands for park, and that is what it does. When the car is in Park, it

doesn't move. Now, go ahead and turn the key."

It started on the second try.

"Okay, good. Now slowly put your foot on the accelerator and push down easy."

He did, and the car revved up.

"Do ya hear that? That is the sound the engine makes when it gets gas to the carburetor." He revved it up again two or three times. "Now, whenever you start the car, you want to make sure that the car is in Park. The next letter is R for

Reverse. That is the gear you want to be in whenever you back up.

Rick continued, "The D is for Drive. That is the gear that makes the car go. Now, anytime you shift the car from one gear to another, you keep your foot on the brake, then, you shift, then step on the accelerator. Have you got all of

that so far?"

"Yes, sir." Carl said confidently.

"Now, the 'L' is for low gear, and you only need you use that on special occasions, like really, really steep hills and the such. So, we don't really need to go over that right now."

"Check"

"Now, the steering wheel is pretty easy, it just takes some practice. If you turn the wheel to the right, the car goes to the right. If you turn it to the left, the car goes to the left. The more you turn the wheel, the harder the turn. You got all that?"

"Yes, sir. It seems pretty simple."

"Okay, so far, so good. Now, imagine the steering wheel is a clock. You want to put your hands at ten and at two. . .like this." Rick showed him where to put his hands. "Like where the ten is, and where the two is. If you are at ten and two, then the car will be going straight. So far, so good?"

"Got it!" said Carl.

"Well, okay, then. . .let's do this. First thing, put your foot on the brake, and push it as far down as it will go."

Carl pressed the brake. "Check!"

Now, while your foot is still on the brake, shift the car into drive."

Carl slowly moved the shifter into the 'D' position.

"Check!"

"So far, so good. Now, take your foot off of the brake, but don't give it any gas yet. Just let it roll a little. . ."

He took his foot from the brake, and the car started to roll a little. Rick said, "Okay, now put your foot back on the brake." Carl slammed his foot on the brake, and the car squealed at little as it stopped.

"Okay, now. Remember that you need to do everything slowly. If you push the brake slowly, the car won't jolt like it just did. Slow and smooth. . .understand?"

"Yes, sir. . .slow and smooth."

"Okay. Now, slowly take your foot off of the brake a give it a little gas."

"Right!" Carl said.

The car suddenly jumped, and Carl screamed, taking his hands off the steering wheel. It went about half a block before crashing into a tree, which caused the horn to blow in a long, loud trumpet blast. The front end of the car was smashed like an accordion. Rick got out of the car with a huge red spot on the right side of his head, and immediately fell to the pavement. He regained his feet, and staggered to the front of the car, as Daryl ran from the porch.

He managed to raise the crumpled hood, and disconnected the horn.

"Oh, my God! Dad, I'm sorry!" Carl cried.

Daryl raised his crossbow, checking the perimeter for walkers, then looked at Rick. "Are you alright?"

Rick was holding his head. "Yeah," he said, "guess I should-a been wearing my seatbelt."

"Dad, I am so sorry."

"Uh, that's okay, son. But you've got to remember, slow and steady. And, no matter what, never, ever take your hands off the wheel."

"Yes, sir, Dad. I'm so. . .so very sorry. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. . .just fine. But, I think today's lesson is over for now."

The three walked back toward the house, looking for walkers, but did not see any.

Daryl said, "Don't feel bad, Carl. I did the same thing the first time I tried to drive."

"Really?" said Carl.

Daryl, realizing that Carl was looking straight ahead, looked over to Rick, and, almost laughing, shook his head, and pantomimed the word, "No!".


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own these characters. . .please don't sue me. . .I have no money nor anything else you could want. Somebody tell Robert that we could film this next season!

Chapter 2

Having wrecked the car, Carl didn't think it'd be a good idea to mention driving again anytime soon. He, Daryl and his Dad were having a little bonding time, checking the neighborhood for gasoline. They were having a lot of trouble finding any. It had taken until early in the evening to find just a couple of gallons. The weird part was, they hadn't seen any walkers at all. . .not a single one. There weren't any bodies, either. Just block after block of empty houses, with

lots of abandoned cars with empty tanks. There weren't any guns either, or ammo.

"Uh. . .y'know it's way too quiet around here."

"Yeah, I know. . .and I do not like it!" said Rick. "Maybe we ought-a head back to the house. Tomorrow, maybe we should consider gettin' back on the road again."

They had made it just about half-way back, when they heard an all too familiar sound.

Daryl said, "Uh-oh. . .there they are!" as he caught the first glimpse of a herd of walkers.

Rick looked around, and said, "Let's take to that house over there!" as the sound of the walkers got louder. They felt they had gotten lucky, as the front door was unlocked. They jumped inside just in time. Rick watched from behind

the door, as Daryl and Carl cleared the house. No walkers, but Carl found five extra-long backpacks, each containing a sleeping bag large enough for two.

"Good," said Daryl. "It be a shame to have to leave all of that food we found."

It was a good sized herd that passed slowly down the street. And it was almost dark by the time they felt comfortable enough to leave their shelter. When they got back to the home base, it was dark outside, and everyone had been worried about them.

"Yeah," said Rick, "we were on our way back, and got cut-off by a herd."

"They came though here, too." said Maggie. "But they just walked on by. It was a big group."

"Y'see, that's what bothers me. For days, there's nothin', but then, all of a sudden. . .bam! It's Walker Central." Rick shook his head.

"Did you notice," Glen interjected, "they were actin' funny, too. Usually they just, kind-a wonder around. These walkers seemed to have a place to go. . .like the ones we found back on the interstate. . ."

"Well," said Rick, "maybe, they got some place to be. . .guess, maybe, we ought-a see where they're goin'. Let's pack up and get back on the road. Those walkers seemed to be headin' south, so that's the way we'll go, at first light. Best everybody get some sleep!"

The next couple of days were uneventful. On the third day, however, they had another close call by another herd of walkers meandering southward. They managed to find cover inside an old panel truck that had been abandoned. It

took hours for the herd to pass by. Occasionally, they would stumble across a vehicle, but there was no gasoline to be found. . .not even a little.

The next night, they found an old farmhouse to camp in. The crew had an early dinner, and were relaxing as the sun was going down. Rick and Glen were taking inventory of the ammo they had left. Carol, Maggie, and the baby were inside, finishing with dinner. Michonne and Daryl were scouting the area around the farmhouse, and Carl and Beth were walking toward the barn.

"Maybe we'll find a chicken or two in there," said Beth.

"Yeah," said Carl, "that'd be good." They stopped just outside the barn door, and Carl looked up and down the structure. He shook his head. "I hate barns." he said, flatly.

"Me, too." Beth agreed. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Well. . ." winced Carl, as he pulled his pistol and went inside. "It's dark in here!" Carl called out. Beth opened both of the barn doors wide, as Carl secured the stalls. They found nothing. . .nothing but a loft full of hay, and a pitchfork.

"I remember nights like this," said Beth, "Daddy would be sittin' on the porch, an' Me and Maggie would be out in the barn. . .playin' Paratrooper."

"Paratrooper?" Carl asked, "What's that?"

"Well. . ." said Beth. "Climb up there in the loft, an' throw some of those hay bales down here."

After a second, Carl said, "Okay." And he climbed the ladder to the loft, and started throwing down bales of hay. "Is that enough?" Carl said, after a dozen bales.

"A couple more!" Beth laughed, as she started cutting open the bales and pulling them apart. "Come on down here now and help me with these." Once Carl was out of the loft she said, "Now, open up these bales, an', kinda fluff the

hay out into a big ol' pile right here."

They piled the hay up until it stood as high as Carl was tall. Beth started to giggle. "Now, watch this!" Beth climbed the ladder up to the loft.

Maggie walked into the barn. "Hey!" she said, "What're ya'll up to in here?"

"Maggie!" Beth screamed. "Remember this?" She squatted down a little bit, and screamed, "Geronamo!" She ran and jumped from the loft into the pile of hay, landing butt first, and giggling all the way down.

Maggie's eyes grew wide. "Oh. . .Me next!" She scampered up the ladder as Carl and Beth reset the hay.

"Woo-hoo!" she screamed, as she jumped in the hay pile, laughing.

Beth looked at Carl. "Well. . .are you chicken?"

Carl set his gun down on a bale of hay. "Chicken?" he said. He climbed the ladder, and stood at the spot where the girls had jumped from. He looked over the edge, as the girls reset the hay pile. "It looks a lot higher from up here!"

he said.

"Do it!" the girls screamed. "Do it. . .do it. . .do it. . .do it!"

"Well, here goes nothin'," said Carl, as he dropped into the hay pile.

It was getting really dark, as Beth took another turn from the loft. So dark, in fact, that they didn't notice the walkers until they were right on top of them. Carl reached to his holster for his gun, but it was still on the hay bale under the ladder. Maggie kicked the first one, and knocked him back long enough for Carl to reach the bale of hay. Beth picked up the pitchfork, and stabbed one in the face. She tried to pull it out, but the tyne was stuck, so she swerved the walker around by the handle to bump into the next one that was coming in. By that time, Carl had his gun, and shot five times.

Five walkers went down, as Rick screamed, "Carl! They're coming!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no. . .not again," whispered Beth.

"Com'on," said Maggie, "Let's go! Move, move, move!"

The three hay-jumpers climbed back into the loft. They could see Rick running back toward the farmhouse, when, suddenly, a huge herd of walkers wandered between the two structures. Rick jumped behind an old car sitting there, and crouched low. It was like the dam broke, and all of the walkers in the state were streaming past him. The strange thing was, he knew he was seen, yet, the walkers totally ignored him. They just meandered to the south, as if they had a purpose.

Everyone stayed close for the next couple of days. Since the farmhouse, they hadn't seen a single walker. The group had covered a lot of miles, and kept as alert as they could be. Rick didn't like having to camp out in the open, but they were all tired, and there was no place left to go. The heavy backpacks were weighing them all down, too; they found they needed some extra break-time occasionally. Still, everything seemed quiet. . .besides, Daryl and Michonne were both at camp, which always made the group feel more secure.

It was getting dark as Carl carried a bucket toward the nearby stream, to get water. Beth carried "Little Ass-kicker", and went along as a lookout.

"Man!" said Carl, "I can't wait to take my shoes off!"

Beth sighed. "Yeah, we've gone a long way in just a few days. I just want to eat somethin' an' go to sleep."

". . .wish we had some chocolate."

"Me, too!" Beth agreed.

Judith wanted in on the conversation. "Carl!" she said, pointing her finger at her brother. When he looked at her, she held out both of her arms.

"Wanna swap with me?" Carl asked. He took the baby, and Beth took the water bucket. They could hear the creek water running behind a little hill, which was part of the creek bank. And there was something else that seemed weird,

but they couldn't put their finger on it. . . something that smelled funny and sounded like. . .

"Walkers!" Carl handed the baby back to Beth, who dropped her pail. He drew his pistol, and drug the girls behind the dug-out portion of the little hill down in the creek bank. The walkers went past them in two lanes on either side. Again, it was almost like they were invisible. They stood still. . .as still as they could be.

Suddenly, Judith began to squirm. Beth tried to quiet the child, but she was becoming very insistent. She wiggled and began to cry. Then, in a loud voice, Judith screamed, "Carl! Carl!"

The two thought that was it. They were all going to get bitten. . .probably eaten, then turned into these walking dead things. Yet, even with the baby fussing, the walkers completely ignored them. About fifty walkers slid past them, as they hid behind the hill. And that is when it happened. . .

A man jumped from the top of the hill and landed in front of the kids. He was a big man. . .not big like Otis; but big like. . .the Incredible Hulk. He had muscles of the largest kind, and wore an old timey 'wife-beater' tee-shirt, cammy fatigues and carried a long, metal shaft, which he started twirling over his head. His hair was cut in a Mohawk, and he had some form of. . .like. . .body armor. It was made of pencil-width metal shafts, which encircled his arms and legs. His staff had what looked like long knifes at either end. He lit into this pack of walkers like a hurricane, slicing and stabbing, then dropping the walkers as quickly as he could move. He went through the walkers as though they were butter, twirling his staff over his head like a helicopter blade. He suddenly turned around, looked at Beth, and almost shoved his staff into her when she screamed out.

This mountain of a man stopped; frozen. His eyes grew wide, and the expression on his face was one of. . .

. . .FEAR.

He took two steps from the kids, then ran away. . .disappearing into the woods.

Carl and Beth looked at each other, with their jaws dropped.

"What was that?" Beth puzzled.

Carl started counting the dead walkers. Ten. . .Twelve. . .Nineteen. . .Twenty. . .Twenty-two. . .Twenty-five d walkers in, maybe fifteen seconds. They left the bucket, and ran back to the camp to tell Rick and the others what they had seen.


	3. Chapter 3

None of these characters belong to me. . .I'm just borrowing them. Tell Robert we can film these cheap!

Chapter 3

The crew ran two-man look-outs that night, and got an early start the next morning. They had walked several miles before Rick began to relax a little. Again, there was no sign of walkers or of the mysterious stranger. The road they were on had merged into a bigger one; a two-lane with a painted line down the middle.

He called for a break, as Judith had just filled her diaper, and needed to be changed. Then, he noticed something that seemed a little out of the ordinary. He had caught a glimpse of something in the kudzu; something shiny. He walked over to the side of the road and pulled at the vines. There was a ten-foot tall chain-link fence underneath the greenery. It was like the kudzu had been planted to camouflage the fence. And it seemed to run as far as the eye could see.

Daryl joined Rick at the side of the road. "What's up?"

"Look at this." Rick said, showing the fence underneath the vines. "And it looks like it goes on and on down this side of the road."

"So? I mean, it's just a fence."

"It's just one side. . .like a long wall. It ain't containin' anything. . ."

"It looks fairly new. Maybe they just didn't get it finished before everything turned to shit."

"Yeah, maybe. . ."

After the break, the group started walking again. It was about an hour later when the road made a sudden curve off to the right, while the fence continued forward in a straight line. "Let's stop here for lunch." Rick said, as he looked

around. No walkers anywhere.

Carol and Beth started making sandwiches, while everyone else sat down. Carl passed out bottles of water while Daryl opened a big bag of chips. They all ate in silence, because everyone was pooped, but Rick knew he had to keep the crew moving. They had been out in the open for days now. That's dangerous, even if they hadn't seen any walkers. No other humans, either. He looked back to the road and to the fence, then back to the road.

"So, Rick," said Maggie, "any chance we're gonna take a breather soon?"

"Yeah," he said, while eating his sandwich. "I think it's just to dangerous to stick to the road. Best to take our chances an' walk the fence line for awhile."

After lunch, they were on their way again. The footing was harder than it had been on the road, but everyone felt better about not being out in the open. Rick kept watching the fence line, like he was looking for something. And before long, he found it. There was a little tear in the fence that had been closed with a bungee and two clips, much like what they had used back at the prison when they needed quick access to the other side.

Rick was quick with a decision. "Hey, there's a little rigged gate here. Maybe we should see who or what is on the other side. He started the unfastening the hooks and unthreading the bungee.

"Sounds good to me," said Daryl. "It's for sure there's nothin' goin' on out here. Without any complaints, the crew passed through the hole, then re-rigged the makeshift gate, just as it was before they had passed through. They walked along for about another hour. This side of the fence seemed to be just like the other side of the fence. Soon, they started to spread out a bit. Michonne led the gang from the front, then Rick and Glen, who were telling dirty jokes to each other, and cackling like two old hens. Beth and Maggie followed about twenty yards back. Then Carol, holding the baby, and Carl, with Daryl bringing up the rear.

"Listen to them!" said Maggie. "Been awhile since I've heard Glen laugh like that."

"You two still gettin' along alright?"

"Yeah." Maggie sighed. "I dunno. It's just that I wish he were a little more. . ."

"Rugged?" Beth interrupted.

"Aggressive." Maggie stated, flatly. "It seems like I'm always the one who has to. . .uh. . .make the first move."

"Well, you know, he is kinda shy."

"Yeah, but by now, you'd think he'd be a little more. . ."

". . .like Daryl?"

"No. . .that's not it. He's a great guy, and I love him more than anything. I just wish I could get his fire started. . .like back at the prison."

"I think, maybe, he's just tired. I know I am. I'll bet he comes around once we've got some walls around us."

"Yeah, you're right. Once we're not so vulnerable. . .Hey! Wait a minute. . .what'dya mean, 'like Daryl'?"

Carol sped up to join Hershel's daughters, while Carl hung back and let Daryl catch up to him.

"Summer's comin'" said Daryl, as he drank from his water bottle. Carl didn't say a word. . .just kept walking. After a few seconds, he said, "I like summertime."

"Me, too." said Carl. They walked in silence a little more. Then, Daryl said, "Y'know what my favorite things about summer is?" Carl didn't answer. After a few more steps, he said, "Watermelon! I can eat a whole watermelon, all by myself!" Carl said nothing. . .he just kept walking.

"So," Daryl said, "What's your favorite thing about summer?"

"Um," said Carl, "Swimming. . .I guess."

"You like to swim?" asked Daryl.

"Uh, yeah." With that, he clammed up again.

They walked along in silence for awhile, then Daryl said, "Once, I pulled a walkers' arm off, an' then beat him with it."

Carl looked up at Daryl, then said, "I popped a walkers' eyes out, and played golf with them."

Daryl stopped in his tracks, while Carl walked on.

It was almost dark before they stopped for the evening on the side of a hill that overlooked a green valley. It had been days since they'd seen a walker, so Rick said it would be alright to start a small fire. Carl found some big rocks while Glen gathered firewood. Daryl took a small shovel, and dug down in the earth a little, to hide the flames. They opened cans of beef stew for dinner, and, for a moment, everything seemed almost peaceful. Especially, when Beth began to sing. Everyone dozed off early that night. Right before daylight, Daryl awoke, and went to relieve Glen on watch. Glen went over, and dropped another log on the fire, which was barely flickering in the dark.

"Uh. . ." Daryl said, "I'm gonna walk over there an' take a leak. . .just be a minute."

Glen nodded, as he stirred the fire. A couple of minutes later, Daryl came running back into the camp. He grabbed Glen by the arm, and motioned for him to follow. Another minute passed, and the two of them darted back into the camp and woke Rick.

"Hum. . .What is it?" he asked, sleepily.

"Come here, Rick. . .you've got to see this." Daryl said, flatly.

The three walked over to the front end of their campsite. Daryl pointed his finger. "Look over there, across the valley."

There was a strange glow way off in the distance. . .some form of a bluish white light on the other side of the valley.

Daryl said, "Rick. . .those are streetlights."

There was something strangely comforting about the kudzu covered fence line. And Rick was sorry to see it go, as they began to cross into the green valley. At some places the side of the hills were a little steep, and they had to help each other up and down. Brown leaves covered the ground, and pine needles, some of which must have been there for years. The group found no sign whatsoever that anyone had been in these woods for many, many years. A slight breeze blew through the air, that rustled the leaves a little, and the marvelous trees danced in it.

It took most of the day to cross the valley, because these were deep woods, and Rick thought it best to keep everybody close. The underbrush was pretty thick, with lots of thorny blackberry brambles and fragrant honeysuckle vines. They set up camp, just outside of the little town. The girls set out to pick some blackberries with Carl.

Everyone checked their ammunition as they readied themselves for whatever was in this town. Daryl said, "Y'know, I kinda feel like Clint Eastwood in one of those old spaghetti westerns."

"You kinda look like Clint," said Glen. "All you need is a poncho and one of those thin cigars."

"And a leather hat!" added Michonne.

"All Right!" said Rick, "everybody just stay frosty."

There were houses here and there, but the sidewalks didn't appear until they were just across from the local high school. The green street signs said they were at the corner of Main and Elm streets. Then the little houses lined up into blocks. There were cars in driveways, but none had gasoline. And all were locked up tight.

It was strange, seeing stop lights that worked. The four stopped and just stared as they changed from yellow to green, then, back to red. The little 'Walk' and 'Don't Walk' signs flashed their warnings. Glen started across the street,

but Daryl grabbed him by the sleeve.

"Hey!" he said, "What's the deal?"

Daryl grinned. "Can't you read? It says, 'Don't Walk'.

Glen looked at him in disbelief. "We haven't seen a working car in a week." He looked over to Rick, who tried hard to contain his laughter. "We haven't seen another person in longer than that."

As it grew dark, the streetlights began to come on automatically. Every now and then, they saw a porch light. Some houses had interior lights burning.

"Wow," said Glen, "What d'ya think of that?"

"Well, somebody had to plug everything in." said Rick, as he adjusted his pistol in it's holster.

"Right now," said Daryl, "this pretty much looks like another ghost town. . .except for the electricity."

They noticed a little filling station across the street from them. There was a soda machine in the front, and it was lit up as well. Glen reached into his pocket, and pulled out some change. After finding the right coins, he fed them into the machine, and pressed the button. It whizzed and thumped for a moment, then down dropped a bottle with the old familiar markings. Glen picked it up, and wrapped his hand around it.

"It's cold!" he said, as he opened the bottle. Glen tasted it, and smiled. "Oh, man!" he said, as he passed the bottle to Michonne. She took a big swig out of it.

"Mmmm," she said, "this tastes like. . .civilization!"

"Got any more change?" said Daryl, as he took his turn.

"We'll hit the bank later." Rick said, "Right now, let's see if we can find the somebody responsible for this."

They walked around the town for a little while, still marveling at the street signs, and even some storefronts. But not a person or walker in sight. It was getting really dark, when Glen suggested they return to the camp. They were just passing the high school when Rick said, "Stop!" he turned his head. "D'ya hear that?"

"Hear what?" said Daryl, as he raised his crossbow.

"Listen!" grunted Rick, as he turned his head again. After a few moments of silence, he said, "It's gone now."

"What was it?" Glen asked.

"Nothing." murmured Rick, "Let's just get back."

They were almost back to their camp, when Rick stopped everyone with a "There it is again! Everybody get down!" he screamed.

Everyone hit the dirt, as they listened, intently.

"Ya hear that? Do ya hear that?" said Rick, excitedly. The sound grew louder, and louder. It was a siren. A siren like on a. . .

Two headlights glistened as a police car rounded a corner. . .the siren blasting. . .the lights flashing. . .and the wheels screaming. It drove around the block three or four times, weaving to and fro in the street. . .sideswiping the cars

unfortunate enough to have parked in the street. They could make out the form of a shadowy driver, as it turned away from the crew, and flew down the thoroughfare. Then, gradually, the taillights faded down Main street, and then, out of sight. The sound of the siren followed. Fading. . .fading. . .gone.

Maggie came out to meet Glen, as the crew returned. He kissed her, then, handed her the soda bottle.

"Well," said Rick, "There is definitely somebody there. An' they got electricity."

"Really?" said Carol.

"Yeah. Apparently, somebody wired the whole town up. And there's some nut driving a cop car around."

"Maybe somebody's got a TV. . .need to catch up on my stories." Daryl said with a smirk.

"We need t'find the guy who's driving the police car. . .just to see if everything is copasetic."

"Well, let's go!" Carol said, as she handed the baby off to Beth.

"Hang on, there, for a minute. Now, we know there's at least one person in the town. There may be others, and we don't know if they are friends or foes. Why don't we wait awhile, then go in while everyone's sleeping. Maybe we can

get a better idea of what we're up against."

Maggie gave the soda bottle to Beth, who drank, then turned it over to Carl.

Glen seemed to be very proud of himself. "That came out of a machine. . .and it was ice cold when we got it."

Carl looked at Glen and said, "You didn't happen to notice a candy machine, did ya? I'd kill for a candy bar."

"Me, too!" Michonne agreed.

"Just want to make sure this isn't another Woodbury. From what we could tell, there was no walkers, no people, and no bodies, except for the guy in the cop car. And walkers can't drive."

Somewhere around three in the morning, Rick got everybody up.

"Okay. . .Michonne, why don't you stay here with Beth and Judith. Make sure Cop Car Dude doesn't snatch 'em. The rest of us will fan out. . .keep out of sight as much as possible. See what you can see. . .then, we'll meet back here and see what'cha found out. If you get in trouble, fire off a few rounds. We'll all come a-runnin'.

"Piece of cake." Glen said.

"Here we go." Rick whispered.

They stayed in a tight group until they got in front of the high school. That's when they broke off. Everyone took a street, and stopped at the end of the block until everyone caught up. Then they continued through the next block. And

the next. . .and the next. They made it to the town square in no time at all. They checked all the stores. . .looking front and back, and saw no one. . .no evidence anyone had been there for quite awhile. They regrouped, then redeployed using the street by street method.

Carl was sleeking down his street, when he noticed the lights on in a backyard. He walked over, and tried the gate leading to the rear. It was unlocked, and there before him was what looked like a new pool. There were no leaves, no trash of any kind in the water, and the filter was running. He snuck up to the back door of the house. It was locked. All of the windows were also locked, and the house was dark. . .except for the pool area. He was just about to leave when someone grabbed him by the back of the neck with one hand, and pulled his pistol from it's holster with the other one. Carl couldn't turn his head due to the grip the guy had on him. He tossed the pistol into the shrubs at the side.

In a harsh, gruff tone, he whispered, "Answer one question for me, and I'll let you live."

Carl was fighting against the neck-hold, but was having no luck. "What?" he whimpered.

"Listen carefully," the man whispered. "Do you know how to swim?" as he tossed Carls hat to the side.

Carl was taken aback for a moment, the said, "Uh. . .Yeah!"

Suddenly Carl felt himself flying through the air, then splashing into the deep end of the pool. The water was cold, and he realized quickly that it was hard to swim when wearing shoes. . .and his wet clothes were weighing him down. Still, somehow he managed to make it to the end of the pool, and up the ladder. The guy who grabbed him was gone. . .just gone. . .Poof! It took him a little while to find where the guy tossed his pistol. He picked up his hat, and put it on. He thought about firing his gun, but didn't want to take the chance of the guy coming back. So, instead, he ran to the end of the block. Everyone else was waiting at the end of their perspective streets. When he saw his dad, he ran straight over to him.

"What happened to you?" Rick whispered, "you look like a drowned rat."

"Somebody grabbed me and tossed me in a pool."

"Did you get a look at him?"

"No. . .he grabbed me by the back of the neck. I couldn't turn my head. All I know is that he is strong. . .I mean, really strong. He tossed me in the pool like I was a beach ball."

Rick ran into the middle of the street, and made a circular motion with his hand over his head. That was the signal to head back to the camp.

Glen was running at a pretty good clip, when someone grabbed him by the collar from behind. His feet went out from under him, as the big man wrestled his shotgun away from him. After unloading it, he tossed it into the bushes. He was a big, big man. His biceps were the size of Glen's thighs. And he stared at him. His eyes were so weird. . .emerald green and clear as glass.

After pacing for a few moments, this mountain of a man said, with a very bad Chinese accent, "So. . .Mr. Char-ree Chan. You have come here to dis-pray your martial arts skills. Choose your discipline. His fists clinched, and he bent over, and made a little bow.

Glen was still laying in the grass. "Uh. . .I don't have any martial art skills. . .and I'm Korean.

"Ah-so. . .'eongdeong-ileul jandi e chamjo' (Korean for 'I see your ass is in the grass').

"Uh, well. . .I should say, I am of Korean descent. I don't speak Korean, or any other language. . ."

He dropped the cheesy accent. "What? No Kung Fu?"

Suddenly, Maggie had her gun pointed in the monster's face. "Make one move and you die, fucker!"

The big man looked at Maggie, smiled and said while bouncing his eyebrows up and down, "Hey, you're pretty." Before she could blink, he took her pistol from her, and dropped the magazine to the ground. He pulled back the slide, to clear the chamber, then grabbed her around the waist, and ran off into the darkness.

The rest of the crew gathered at the sound of the commotion. Rick helped Glen to his feet. He was beside himself. "That asshole took Maggie!" Glen screamed.

The group tried to track them, but they were just. . .gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When they got back to the camp, Glen grabbed shells for his shotgun, and started loading them into the weapon. Rick tried to reason with him.

"Glen? Glen! Now you jes' wait a minute, now. You can't go after this guy half-cocked. Let's take a minute and breathe."

"He's got Maggie, Rick. I'm going, with or without you."

"We're all with you, Glen. I don't care if we have to tear this here town apart. . .we're gonna find her. And when we do, we're gonna make this guy pay. You don't just abduct one of us, an' not have t' pay the piper."

Dayrl joined the two, and said, "Okay, Rick. . .ar' we goin' after this dickhead or not?"

"Oh, we're goin'. . .you better bet, we're goin'. . .we jus' need us a plan. . ."

Glen interrupted, "Guys. . .Guys! Listen. . ."

They heard the sound of a car gunning it's motor. Everyone ran from the campsite, and out into the open.

There was a police car in the vacant lot next to the school, cutting doughnuts and tearing up the turf. After it had made a couple of turns, Glen ran a couple of feet ahead of the crew, and began popping off rounds from the shotgun.

"Glen!" Rick screamed, as he pushed the hot barrel of the shotgun toward the ground. "We need him alive so as he can take us to Maggie."

The police car turned on its flashing lights, jumped the curb, and took off down the street.

As luck would have it, there was a hardware store next to the service station with the soda machine. Rick used the handle of his pistol to break out the glass of the front door. Daryl went straight to the back, and grabbed a sledgehammer. Once they all were in front of the store, Rick said, "Okay, we'll take this one block at a time. Check every house. . .she'll probably be in a basement or cellar. Now, if you see this fucker, do not shoot to kill. Kneecap him if you can. . .but keep him alive. . .Glen!" He gave him his famous 'evil eye'. ". . .until we get Maggie back. And God help him if he's done anythin' to her."

Meanwhile, the guy had Maggie, blindfolded, in a dark room. He led her to a wooden chair underneith a single light bulb.

"Sit down here, Maggie."

"You know my name. . ." she said.

"Oh, yes. . .I know all of your crew."

"Then you must know that one of them is going to kill you." she said, flatly.

"Could be!" he said. "Here. . .put you arm up here." He moved her arm to run parallel to the arm of the chair. "There you go!" She could hear the sound of the duct tape as he immobilized her arm.

"What're you gonna do to me?"

"Well, that depends. . ." he said as he lined up the other arm. "If you continue to cooperate, the odds are good that you're going to survive this."

"Just don't hurt me."

"Hurt you?" he said, as he began to tape her legs to the legs of the chair. "I'm not going to hurt you, Maggie. As a matter of fact, I'm going to invite you to join the club."

Maggie laughed, sarcastically. "Club, huh? You know a club that'd have you as a member?"

"Yeah, that's right." he said, as he checked his bindings.

"So, you're not alone?"

He stopped for a moment. "No. . .no, I'm not alone."

"Let me guess. . .the 'Psycho Club'?"

He laughed, lightly. "Psycho Club, huh? I like that. . .okay! We'll call it the Psycho Club."

"All right. . .I'll bite. How do I join your Psycho Club?"

He said, "Well, first. . .you get the chair." With that, he removed Maggie's blindfold, then walked around so she could see him. He was a giant of a man, who must have spent every free moment of his life lifting weights. Muscle-bound didn't even begin to describe this guy. And he had perfect teeth, which made the way he smiled even creepier. The topper, though, was his eyes. They were emerald green. Not hazel. . .but emerald green. . .like glass.

She squinted, as she looked at him.

"Damn!" she said. "Well, hello big boy."

"The name's Billy. . .Billy the Blacksmith. Now, in order to join my club, you have to pass the initiation. Tell me, Maggie. . .do you spook easily?"

"Uh. . .not really." She really didn't have a clue as to what was going on.

"Well, that's a real good first step." He reached into his pocket, and pulled something out. "See this?" he said, with one of his creepy smiles. He held the something up. It was a little, round silver box that had rows of tiny holes in the front, and a silver chain attached to it.

"This, dear, sweet Maggie, is 'Ek'."

Maggie looked confused.

He turned the box on it's side. "Now," he said, "You see these two little lines? When you twist the top to line them up, it opens the 'Ek'." He put the chain around her neck, and held the box up, so she could see the lines. "Now, your

part in all of this is to just stay quiet."

"Quiet?" She tried to rock the chair a little. "Is that all?"

"That's it. If you can follow instructions, and keep still, you're in."

"Okay. . .so what's in it for me?"

He smiled that creepy smile again. "What's in it for you? Well. . ." He cleared his throat. "How about, an end to your nightmare."

"What?"

"I'm completely serious. If you can stay quiet for the next few minutes, your nightmare will be over. Once and for all."

"Uh. . .okay." Her eye's grew wide.

Again, he held up the little box. "I'm going to open the 'Ek' now. Sorry, I know this part isn't going to be pleasant."

He twisted the box, and this odor came from it. And it was bad. . .really bad. It made decomp smell like roses.

"Oh, my dear God!" she screamed, as her face pinched up.

"Yeah, I know. . .it's kind of stinky, isn't it?"

"Kind of?" she yelled.

"Now, Now. . .I know it's bad, but it's time to play the quiet game now. Ready?" He held his finger up to his mouth. "Shhh". He stepped out of the light and into the darkness, leaving her alone.

Maggie wrinkled up her nose. The smell was so bad. . .worse than any skunk or stink-bomb, or even dead, rotting matter, than she had ever smelled in her life. Then, she heard something. . .something all to familiar, and it was in the room with her.

"Walkers!" She struggled in her chair, but remembered what Billy had said about being quiet. She stopped squirming and whimpering, which wasn't very easy. . .especially when she saw the walkers heading right for her. . .

The crew spent the next few hours, going house by house. . .using the sledgehammer to kick in the front door, then clearing each and every house from top to bottom. They checked every closet. . .every garage and attic. . .every out

building and shed. They had made a tremendous amount of progress when they decided to break for breakfast. They had only slept sporadically for the last couple of days, and they were all tired. Of course, Glen wanted to continue, but Rick convinced him that a little sleep would do everyone some good. Besides, even with electric lights, It'd be too easy to miss something in the darkness.

They were dragging by the time they made it back to the camp. Beth met them, running.

"Rick! Rick! Carol's gone. . ."

"What?"

"We were gettin' some food ready for you guys, an' I turned around, and she was just gone! I ran outside, but I didn't see anything or anyone. I didn't wanna leave Judith by herself, so I decided to just hang out 'til you guys got back."

Rick shook his head. "Goddammit!" he huffed, "He's hunting us now."

Carol couldn't move. She could barely breathe, due to the 'Ek' around her neck. She was taped to the chair, and the walkers were coming. All she could do was to keep quiet, and close her eyes. . .


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After a few hours' sleep, the crew was ready to continue the search. It was just before sunup by the time they checked their weapons and ammo. Beth wanted to come along, but Rick thought it would be better if Michonne stayed behind to guard her and the baby. Michonne agreed, and the boys set out again. Rick didn't like the idea of searching in the dark, but you do what you've got to do.

They had just gotten started, when Rick said, "Hey. . .we didn't check the high school."

"It'd be a good place to hide." Daryl observed.

Carl said, "I'll check it out." He ran down to the front of the school, and looked it up and down, then back to his dad. Rick motioned with his pistol to continue. No sooner than he had put his hand on the door handle, a walker slammed against the window. Carl cupped his hands to eliminate some of the morning glare. Then, he turned around and ran back to his group.

"It's full of walkers!" he said, "Looks like the whole town is in there."

"Guess that explains a lot." said Daryl, flatly.

"We'll take care of that later." Rick huffed. "Let's jes' get back to what we were doin'."

Once they had passed the high school, Daryl noticed something.

"Rick!" he said, with a seriousness to his tone that only Daryl had. "Take a look at the doors."

They walked over to the first house. "This door is fixed." he noticed. Carl ran to the next house.

"This one is, too!" he shouted. Daryl ran across the street, and examined the entrance. "Same here!" he screamed. "There's fresh paint, too!"

Rick motioned everyone back. "There must be a crew of them. There's too much work here for one guy."

"That's good." Glen said, "It'll be easier to find a group that just one man."

They walked up to the last house they had checked. It's door had been fixed, too. "Okay," said Rick, checking his revolver for ammo. "Let's go!"

Beth didn't know if the crew was going to come back in for lunch or not, so she readied things that could be prepared in a hurry. Judith was beginning to fuss, too. ". . .must be time for another diaper change," she thought. She looked around the camp, and everything seemed to be in order, so it seemed like a good time to get Judith a dry diaper.

Whereas Beth was organized and efficient, Michonne was restless. She paced back and forth, trying to stay awake. She kept telling herself to stay frosty. She couldn't understand why Rick wanted to keep everyone out in the open, even though they hadn't seen any walkers at all, since they crossed through the fence. There were so many houses that would make for better cover. Safer. . .easier to defend.

Suddenly, the big man with the emerald eyes was standing right in front of her. "So Michonne," he said. "I've heard that are very, very good with a sword."

"Wanna find out. . .Creep?" She pulled her sword and held the blade in front of her face. "Where's Maggie and Carol?"

"Believe me, you really don't want to know,"

"Tell me, or I'm gonna fuck you up!"

"You know, now that you mention it, I think my ancestors use to own your ancestors."

"This is not gonna end well for you."

"It sounds to me like you are looking for a swordfight. Good thing I brought one, huh?" Billy pulled his samurai sword and held it in front of him. Then he slung his blade around in a threatening manner. "Guess we could play a little game. . ."

Michonne growled at him.

"Tell you what. . .let's make this interesting. If you win. . .well, I'll be dead. But if I win. . ." he grinned, "You are gonna come with me."

"I ain't goin' no where with the likes of you."

Billy laughed. "That's what they all say. . .at first."

"I don't play games," Michonne said, very matter-of-factly. "And, so help me, I will cut off your head and piss down your neck."

"Well, okay, then. . ." He did his best 'Al Bundy'. "Let's Rock!"

Beth heard what was going on, and hid behind a tree, while she tried to soothe Judith.

The sound of metal against metal was unmistakable, and, suddenly, it was 'On'." The swords flashed brilliantly in the early morning sunlight. The two looked like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, only with swords instead of light sabers. They went at it hard for about fifteen minutes, but then, Michonne seemed to be running out of gas. Ten minutes later, she had gotten to the place where she could barely lift her blade.

Beth charged up to them. With one arm, she held the baby. Her other hand held a pistol, and it was aimed at Billy's head. "Leave her alone!" She screamed.

Billy grinned, and switched hands with the sword. With his other hand, he pulled his own pistol, and aimed it at Beth. "Okay, Bethany, what do you think the odds are that I can hit you without hitting the baby?"

Beth moved back three steps.

"Drop it now!" he shouted. She did. At the same time, and using the last of her strength, Michonne launched another attack. It didn't last long, though, and she collapsed to the grass. Billy watched Beth as he picked up Michonne, threw her over his massive shoulder, and disappeared.

By lunch, they had finished covering all the houses east of Main Street. They were about half-way back to the camp when Beth, carrying Judith, met them.

"Rick!" she screamed. "He came back. . ."

"Not again!" he whispered.

". . .and he took Michonne. She didn't just go quietly, either."

"I didn't think she would. Do you know if she's still. . ."

"Alive?"

"Yeah."

"Um. . .She was the last time I saw her. They had one heck of a battle. He was just too much for her."

"Was it the same guy you and Carl saw down by th' creek?"

"Uh-huh. The one with the weird colored eyes. I drew down on him, but he drew back, 'n I was 'fraid that he might hit Judith.."

"All right. Uh. . .seems like he's takin' just the girls. We're gonna have t' keep a close eye on Beth 'n Judith from here on."

Glen spoke up. "You don't suppose he's. . .uh. . ."

"I sincerely hope not. But we jes' don't know."

"That son of a bitch! I'll kill him if he touches Maggie. . ."

"Hold on, now, Glen. Let's try n' stay positive 'bout it. It's no use flyin' off half-cocked. Let's jus' stick to the plan. . .sooner or later, he's bound to slip up n' make a mistake. Right now, it seems t' me he can get to us, no matter where we are, so we might as well be comfortable. Carl?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Why don't you pick us out a house to camp in."

Carl didn't hesitate. "Got one, already."

"Okay. . .what?"

"That one where he tossed me in t' pool."

"Uh. . .okay. You know that we probably won't have a whole lotta time fer swimmin'?"

"Yeah, I know. Might have a few minutes after dinner, though. Y'know, right before bed. . ."

"Okay. . .okay. Guess it really don't matter that much which one we take." He sighed, "Well, let's get on with it."

They moved all of their stuff into the house and locked it down. They ate lunch mostly in silence. After resting for a little while, they were ready to pick up the search again. Before they left, Rick pulled Beth aside and said, "Now, Beth.

. .we're doin' what we can, fer now. So, if you even catch a glimpse of that rat-bastard, you shoot him. Understand? You can try 'n wing him. . .but if it comes down to it, you shoot to kill. You got that?"

"You betcha. Just try 'n bring my sister home. . .and the others, okay?"

"Right. Guys, let's go ahead and do Main Street first. I jes' got a feelin' 'bout it."

With that, they were out the door. They looked like the Earp brothers, heading to the O. K. Corral.

There they stood in the middle of Main Street, and looked at all of the businesses.

Daryl said, "It sure is a clean little town. Have ya noticed? There's hardly any trash. . ."

"Hey, Rick? Look over there. . .in front of the bank." Glen said.

There sat a police car. . .the sides of which were dented and scraped.

Rick breathed deep. "You guys stay frosty, now. This could be it."

Glen was in the front of the group, and, about the time his foot hit the sidewalk, he noticed something that had blown next to the front door of the bank. He started walking toward it. . .then, suddenly, he broke into a run.

"What is it?" Rick said to Glen.

He held the object up. It was Maggie's blouse. . .a large piece of it, anyway. "Rick. . ." he said, trembling, as he cocked his shotgun.

"Come on, guys. . .this is it! Let's go. . .go. . .go!"

They burst through the front door like seasoned professionals. . .each one taking point. The one behind would move up to point, then the one in back would move up. . .taking the bank a few feet at a time. They saw nothing or no

one. Still, they continued around the floor, then behind the teller's stations. That is when they noticed that the heavy door of the vault was standing open.

Rick held up his hand in a stop signal, then pointed to Glen and Daryl, saying to move to the other side of the door. He, then, held up his fingers. One. . .two. . .three. . .and they all burst into the vault. It was kind of. . .disappointing. If there had been any money there, it was long gone. There were a couple of stainless steel tables, one of which had a cardboard box on it, and locked stainless steel doors. They all pointed their weapons to the floor.

"Well," he said, disappointedly. "Ya'll check 'n make sure everything's locked up."

They got so concentrated on checking out the vault and the box, they didn't notice the heavy door closing. . .

"Okay. . .so what's in it for me?" said Maggie, duct taped to the chair.

He smiled that creepy smile again. "What's in it for you? Well. . ." He cleared his throat. "How about, an end to your nightmare."

"What?"

"I'm completely serious. If you can stay quiet for the next few minutes, your nightmare will be over. Once and for all."

"Uh. . .okay." Her eye's grew wide.

He held up the little box. "I'm going to open the 'Ek' now. Sorry, I know this part isn't going to be pleasant."

He twisted the box, and this odor came from it. And it was bad. . .really bad. It made decomp smell like roses.

"Oh, my dear God!" she screamed.

"Yeah, I know. . .it's kind of stinky, isn't it?" he snickered.

"Kind of?" she yelled.

"Now, Now. . .I know it's bad, but it's time to play the quiet game now. Ready?" He held his finger up to his mouth. "Shhh". He stepped out of the light and into the darkness, leaving her alone.

Maggie wrinkled up her nose. The smell was so bad. . .worse than any skunk or stink-bomb, or even dead, rotting matter, than she had ever smelled in her life. Then, she heard something. . .something all to familiar, and it was in the room with her.

"Walkers!" She struggled in her chair, but remembered what Billy had said about being quiet. She stopped squirming and whimpering, which wasn't very easy. . .especially when she saw the walkers heading right for her. . .but, they didn't attack. They just wandered aimlessly around the room for a few minutes, until another door opened, and they meandered out. Billy came back into the room laughing and clapping he hands.

"Oh. . .you did it! You did it! Did you see?" he giggled as the closed the 'Ek' around her neck.

Maggie seemed spent. . .exasperated. "Wha. . .What tha. . ."

"It's the 'Ek', Maggie. I know it really stinks, but it makes you invisible to spooks. . .uh. . .what you call 'walkers'!"

"I thought you were gonna feed me to the. . .the. . ."

"Feed you? Oh, no. . .no. . .no. . .no. Why would I. . ." He paused for a moment, sighed, then continued. "We haven't seen any. . .uh. . .people. . .since the plague hit. We thought we were the only ones who. . .uh. . .survived it."

Maggie looked up at him, as she began to relax a little.

"We?" she asked.

"Uh. . .yeah! Me an' my dad." he took out a knife and cut the tape off her right arm.

"Your dad?"

"Uh-huh! He's a doctor. Now, Maggie. . .you passed your initiation, so now you get to join our club. Raise you right hand, and repeat after me".

Maggie sat there, by this time, a bit confused.

"Go on. . .go on, now. Raise your right hand. . ." She decided to play along. "Now, repeat after me." He cleared his throat. "The only good. . .uh. . .walker, is a dead walker."

Maggie took a deep breath, then said, "The only good walker is a dead walker!"

Billy laughed and clapped his hands together. "Oh, congratulations, Maggie! You are now an official member of the Psycho Club. . .with all the rights to all the benefits, within. As of today, your life has changed. . .you don't have to fear the walkers, anymore. . .'cause, with the 'Ek', you are invisible to them. You can walk right up, and stick 'em in the brain! Then, walk up to the next one and. . ."

Maggie began to understand. "The only good walker, is a dead walker." She giggled a little as Billy cut her bindings from the chair.

"Yeah. . .I know the 'Ek' stinks, but it clears out after you close it back up."

"Does this mean that I'm free to go?"

"Uh. . .not quite yet. We've got some other members joining us, soon. But, allow me to show you some of the benefits of beings a club member." He cut the tape that was holding her other arm to the chair. The second she was free, she bolted to the door. Unfortunately, it was locked. She turned around and looked at Billy, who was smiling.

"Maggie, I promise you, I don't mean you or your friends any harm. . .it's just that there's a lot to take in, and it would just be too much to get it all at once. Just trust me for a couple of days, and I promise, you and your friends will all be

happy and together. Okay?"

Maggie sighed. "Okay. Okay, Billy. . .I can give you a couple of days, as long as you promise not to hurt me."

"Not you, or your friends. I promise."

With that, Billy unlocked the door, and then another, as the two left the building and walked toward the police car. "Uh. . .you don't mind riding in the back, do you?"

She was taken a little aback. "Uh. . . no, I guess that would be okay. But you remember your promise, now."

"Okay!" he said, as he put her in the back. He walked over and opened the driver side door. As he set down behind the wheel he reminded Maggie to put on her seatbelt. He said, "Here we go!" as he stomped on the gas pedal. They took off like a bat out of hell. He ran off the road, and started doing doughnuts in a vacant lot, and screaming like a little kid. "Woo-hoo!" he shouted, and the police car tore up the grass. After a few circles, they went down Main Street, then he slowed down, made a turn, and soon were at a place where the sign outside read, "Noetelle Motel. . .Vacancy." Then, below that, it said, "Ya'll come on in!"

Maggie suddenly became a bit concerned. "Uh. . .Billy?"

He thought for a second, then said, "Oh, no, now Maggie. I was. . .so. . .happy when I discovered it wasn't just me and dad left in the world. . .well. . .I didn't really know how to handle it. So, I kinda stalked you guys to learn a little

about you. I heard some about how rough you guys have had it since the plague started. Believe me, all you guys are going to have it so much better for now on. Just let me show you what we have to offer. Once I've gotten your whole

crew together, then let's talk about whether or not you might want to stay. If you don't, then, of course, you're free to go. Now, first things, first." He opened the car door for her. "I think, you might find a little surprise in your room. I figure

it's been awhile since you've had a shower with real, hot water. And, your clothes. . .apparently, they've seen better days. You'll see. I'm going to leave you here for a little while. I'm sure you'll find your new room much more comfortable that sleeping on the ground. Why don't you grab a shower, and I'll be back in just a little while, with another big surprise."

"Well," she said, shyly, "I would love a hot shower. It's been awhile."

"I got a couple of things to do. . .I'll be back to pick you up in, say, about two hours?"

"Okay, Billy. If you say so." He started to close the door, but she stopped him. "Uh. . .Billy You don't have any little cameras hidden in here, do you?"

He chuckled a little. "Uh. . .no Maggie. . .there's no cameras. I wouldn't do that. I would really, really like it if we could all be friends. I haven't had any friends since this thing started."

"Alright, Billy. . .I believe you."

"Enjoy your shower. I'll be back."

With that, he closed the door. Maggie turned around and sighed deeply. After a moment or two, she turned back around and pulled at the doorknob. It was locked. She brushed her hair back with her hand, then checked the window. It was locked, too. There was a chair and a table, with some stationary and a bible on it. She picked the chair up a little, but it was very heavy. Maybe, after she took a shower, she'd try to throw the chair through the window and escape. Oh, but that shower sounded really, really good. She breathed a heavy sigh and began to look around the room. She checked the walls and the vents for cameras. The first thing that caught her attention was the clothing hanging on a rod outside the bathroom. As she was passing the television, she noticed a big bucket full of ice, and some individually rapped plastic glasses. There was a little refrigerator which contained some small bottles of liquor, and a selection of soft drinks. She filled a cup with ice cubes, then poured one of the small bottles of rum into it, and finished filling the glass with cola. She used her finger to stir the mixture together, then took a small sip. "Ah," she thought. "That's really good stuff." Maggie wasn't much of a drinker, but on this occasion, she didn't see the harm in it. She walked over to the rod holding the clothing. "Wow!" she thought. "This stuff is all brand spankin' new." And it was all in her size! She kicked off her shoes, and removed her socks, as she looked at everything, one piece at a time. There were slacks and brand new blue jeans. . .blouses and tee shirts. She studied everything, then picked one out, and placed it on the bed, while

sipping her coctail. She knew that daddy wouldn't approve of her drinking, but daddy wasn't here right now, and this was quickly becoming her time. . .time set aside just for herself. She walked over, and opened a drawer. It contained a wide selection of make-up and perfume. . .deodorant and hair brushes and combs. The next drawer contained undergarments. They were nice. . .pretty. . .without being too risque. Much the same as if she had bought them herself. She closed the drawer, and peaked into the bathroom.

There was a basket, covered in red plastic that contained. . .fruit. Fruit! She hadn't had a piece of fruit that wasn't mostly rotten, since they left the farm. . .except for what came out of a can. She pulled out a pear. It was firm, but soft.

She put it to her nose. It had been so long since she had smelled fresh fruit. Maggie closed her eyes, then bit into it. Oh, the wonder. . .so sweet. . .a little cold. She gloried in it's texture, as she pressed the small bite up to the roof of her mouth. "Mmmm. . ." she thought, as she lightly chewed it. Where could Billy have found any fresh fruit since the apocalypse? Well, right now, that didn't matter.

Maggie took the 'Ek' from around her neck, and thought, "I sure don't want to loose this." She hung it carefully from the door knob.

She went into the bathroom, and started running the water. She bit into the pear again, and put her hand underneath the faucet. After a few seconds, she could feel the water heating up. Oh, so warm. . .So alluring. God! It had been so long! Then, she noticed the soap. Not the cheap, little sliver of a piece of soap you'd usually find in a motel. . .but a full-sized bar of gently scented body lotion in the form of a solid. It smelled so good. And there was shampoo. . .and conditioner.

Maggie couldn't wait anymore. She set the pear down, and began to shed her clothing. She hadn't noticed how frazzled they were. . .full of holes, some small, some larger. And they were almost dingy-dirty. She couldn't get them off of her body fast enough. She tossed the near-rags into the floor. And the towels! Not the hard, white ones people might steal while on vacation; but brand new, soft, giant-sized bath sheets. She took one, and placed it on the toilet, so

that it was easily in reach, and turned the middle knob that changed the hot water from the faucet to the shower-head. She had almost forgotten to take off her watch. She placed it on the sink, next to the fruit basket. It was like a gentle

rain. . .a gentle rain of hot water, tickling the top of her head. Then, caressing her body until she was completely enraptured in it. So warm. . .So light. . .and, suddenly, she felt so safe.

She opened her eyes, and poured a little shampoo in her hand. She held it to her nose, lingering for a moment, before rubbing it into her hair. It didn't just smell good. . .it smelled terrific! She worked it into her scalp, and a soft lather began to form. As she rubbed it in, it expanded into this glorious vision of suds and bubbles. The water was so very warm. . .it drifted over her like waves on the beach. It hugged her like golden sunshine. It loved her like. . .

"Glen. . ." She stopped, and opened her eyes.

She sighed. "Glen. . .I've got to find Glen. . .at least to let him know that I'm okay."

All of the glorious rapture left her for a moment, and she began to feel a little sad. But then, she thought, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it right now. I might as well make the best of it. Soon, she was swept away again in a blaze of bubbles and fragrance. She lathered her hair three or four times, before using the conditioner. She took the bar of soap in her hand, and smelled it once more before lightly lathering her wash-cloth. Again, the warm water began to caress her as she scrubbed her arms. . .her legs. It had been so long since she had just felt. . .clean.

"Razor? Oh, goodness. I need a razor!" She switched the middle knob, which changed the wonderful water from the shower head to the facet, and started searching the room with her eyes. There. . .under the sink. . .Viola! There was a basket, containing a loofa, bath salts, bubble bath. . .

"Bubble bath? And candles! And a whole pack of disposable razors! Yeah, she'd just taken a shower. . .but. . .there's bubble bath! Quickly, she checked her watch. . .Ah! It's only been thirty minutes. There's time!

In no time at all, the tub was full, and she was using her razor to chase Chewbacca away. You know, it's hard being a girl when your legs look like you're a lumberjack. That was then, but this is now. . .and now doesn't have hairy legs, or armpits, or. . .

The candlelight flickered around the bathroom, as Maggie squeezed out her washcloth, and placed it over her face. She's really missed this. There's just something about a bubble bath that was so good at relieving the stress. And she

has been really stressed since this whole thing started. She may have become quite the warrior, but down deep, she was really a girly-girl. . .she'd like to be a girly-girl all the time. Well, a great deal of time, anyway. She wondered if things would ever be. . .normal again. She really missed the farm, the horses, and, of course, her daddy. He was quite a man. A really, really good man. A man that other men should endeavor to emulate. No one could ever be as strong. . .as wise. . .loving. . .

But she didn't want to think about that right now. She just wanted to relax. . .even if just for another five minutes. And she didn't want to be sad any longer. She's been too sad for too long. She sighed, and resigned herself to the fact that she really needed to get out of the tub. She didn't want to answer the door naked.

Okay, that did it. She opened the drain, and wrapped herself in one of the plush towels. Maggie never use to wear that much make-up, anyway. Just a little. It never took her very long to get dressed, and she was actually glad to be

wearing a pretty dress for a change. In no time at all, she was all put together. She looked at herself in the mirror. For the first time in ages, she actually felt. . .pretty.

She didn't have to wait long, because Billy had this thing about being prompt. She heard the knock that she was expecting. Maggie looked at herself in the mirror once more before opening the door. When she opened it, Billy looked her up and down.

"Wow," he said, "I knew you were pretty, but damn girl. . .you've got it going on!"

"Billy," she said, looking into his emerald green eyes. "Billy. . .Right now, let me tell ya. . .You the Man!"

"I'm the man?" he said with a confused look on his face.

Maggie smiled. After a couple of seconds, Billy reasoned it out, and screamed, "I'm the man! I'm the man!"

"You'll never know how much I needed this time. Thank you."

"Well, pretty lady. . .you are very welcome."

"How did you know what size I wore?"

"What do you mean? You're standing right here."

"You can tell what size I wear, just by looking at me."

"Uh-huh. Can't everyone?"

Maggie smiled again.

"Uh. . .you won't need the 'Ek' right now."

"Okay. . .can I just leave it here?

"Sure thing! If there's any trouble, I think I can take care of it."

"I'm sure you can." said Maggie.

"Oh. . .wait! I promised you another surprise. Come with me."

She followed him, but he only went two doors down. Then he knocked on the door. It opened.

Maggie screamed, "Carol!"

Carol was still dressed in her old clothes. She looked at Maggie, and said, "Whoa! Look at you!"

Billy said, "Guess what? I'll be back in about and hour and a half. You girls have fun." He closed the door and locked it.

Carol said, "Okay. . .what do we do to get out of here?"

"Uh, Carol. . .I really don't think this guy is a real threat. As a matter of fact, he just might be our salvation."

Carol looked perplexed. "Really? Did he make you join his Psycho club?"

Maggie rolled her eyes a little. "Have you looked around your room yet?"

"No," she said, "We just got here."

"Well. . .get ready for a shock. . ."

Michonne was next. . .and the three girls got a chance to laugh and bond, as they got clean. The stress level went way down, and it began to feel like all of this. . .insanity. . .might have run it's course.

Meanwhile, back at the bank. . .

Glen was freaking out a little. "How much air do you think we have in here?" Daryl pointed out the vents in the ceiling. Carl seemed fixated on the box on the table. He pulled his knife, and cut open the tape on the top of the box.

As he looked inside, he said, "Hey! You guys need to see this."

"Any chance it's full of cash?" Daryl quipped.

"Better than that!"

"Beer?"

"Uh. . .Yeah! There's other stuff, too. Food. . .drinks. . .snacks. . .and a note that read: 'Time lock - Day after tomorrow - 8:00 am.'

Rick said, "Well, looks like we're gonna be here for awhile."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was just after noon when a long black limousine pulled up to the Noetelle Motel, and stopped in front of the girls' rooms. They were all in Carol's room, plotting their escape, just in case Billy got weird. There was a knock at the door,

then they heard the key in the lock. The door swung open, and their stood Billy. He was wearing a short black dress, and a long, blonde curly wig. His make-up was much too think. . .and his lipstick was way too red. He snapped his fingers. "Okay, ladies. . .it's 'girls night out'! Com'on, now. . .your carriage awaits."

It took a minute for the girls to get over the shock of Billy's appearance. Once they did, they laughed a nervous little laugh, not really knowing how to react. There was something kind of comical, due to the fact that he was just so muscle-bound. . .Billy looked each one of them in the eye, then smiled and said, "What?"

Maggie said, "Nice dress."

After a moment, Michonne said, "Um. . .You got a little lipstick on your teeth."

"Really?" said Billy, smiling with his perfect teeth.

Carol took a tissue from the box beside the bed. "Here, darling. Let me get that for you." She wiped his front teeth with the tissue, then folded it in half. "Whenever you wear lipstick, you need to blot off any extra. She stuck the folded tissue between his lips and told him to press down. She showed the lip prints from the tissue to the man in the black dress.

"Thank you." said Billy. "Well, let's go. . .we've got a few stops to make before dinner. Oooo! This is going to be so much fun!" He giggled like a little girl.

Michonne shook her head, then said, "Okay. . .let's go!" They all walked down to the limo, and Billy held the door open for them, then crawled in behind them. He reached into the small bar area and started passing out glasses.

"Ladies, we've got champagne!" He twisted the cork until it got away from him, and it bounced off the ceiling. As he filled the glasses, Maggie asked if they were going to pick up the boys. "Um. . .not tonight. This evening is just for us

girls."

"What about Beth?" asked Carol.

"She's baby-sitting with little Judith. I'll make it up to her later." They noticed that Billy didn't pour a glass for himself.

"No. . .I don't drink. Besides, somebody has to drive the limo!" Now, ya'll just relax and enjoy the champagne. I think you'll enjoy what I've cooked up for you." He slammed the door, then crawled in behind the wheel, and took off. Unfortunately, he still didn't drive very well; side-swiping cars and scratching the doors. It was hard not to spill the champagne as the limo swerved from side to side.

"Billy?" yelled Carol. "Do you want me to drive?"

The glass that divided the driver's seat from the back rolled down. Billy yelled back. "That's okay, Carol. I got this. . ." as he scraped the side of another parked car. "Besides, we're almost there."

They stopped in front of a store on Main street. Billy got out of the car, and opened the door for the girls. They all stepped out, still holding their glasses of champagne. "What's this?" said Michonne, still not knowing what was going

on.

"Well," said Billy, shaking his wig a little, "I picked out what I thought you girls would like, but I really don't know your personal tastes, so let's go in, and you guys can get some stuff that is closer to what you'd buy for yourselves.

Carol was shocked, "Billy, that's stealing!"

He looked her in the eye. "No, it's not! The owners of this store won't care, due to the circumstances. We don't even know if our money is any good, anyway."

Carol still gave him a dirty look. "Look, all we're doing is utilizing resources. Besides. . ." he reached into his purse. "I'm using plastic!" He dropped a plastic picture holder that was full of credit cards. "So, com'on, let's go girls. We're

going to have a little fashion show!"

They walked up to the front door, and Billy pulled a large ring of keys out of his purse. "Let's see. . .I believe its. . .uh. . .this one!" He stuck the key in the lock, and turned it. He pushed the door open. "Hang on a minute. . .let me get the lights." He girls stood by the door, as Billy ran toward the back to find the fuse box.

Michonne whispered to Carol, "Should we make a run for it?"

Maggie said, "Why don't we humor him for a bit. I don't think we're in any real danger. Besides, I believe he could probably run us down."

Carol agreed. "Besides, I could use a few things." she said, as she sipped her champagne.

Michonne said, "Well, okay. . ." shaking her head.

The lights suddenly came on, and they saw a store that looked like there had been no plague at all. Everything was in it's place. "Wow," said Maggie, "You can't tell there was any looting at all."

Billy rejoined the group.

Michonne said, "Uh, how come this store wasn't looted when this all started.

Billy forced a giggle. "I locked the town down after the last person left."

"Why did you stay when everybody else was leaving?"

"Daddy wouldn't go. He said that this was our home, and our home was worth defending. Not that I had to defend anything."

"Where's your daddy, now?" asked Maggie.

"He's back at the house."

"Do we get to meet him?"

Billy looked at the ground. "Um. . .ah. . .yes! But I thought we'd wait until the whole group is together."

"Speaking of together. . .where are the boys?"

"Well," Billy smiled, "They're a little busy relaxing right now."

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Carl?"

"Uh. . .I really need to pee."

"Well, pick a corner."

"Here ya go, Carl," said Daryl, as he walked over to a corner, and began relieving himself. "I'll break it in for ya."

When he finished, he told Carl, "Your turn!"

Rick was rummaging through the box. "Maybe there's some kind of clue in here. . ."

"There is!" said Daryl, "Tomorrow at 8:00 a.m."

Rick held up a jar. "Well, at least there's peanut butter." He opened he jar, and stuck his fingers in it, then started licking the goo from them. "Hum. . .not bad. I prefer crunchy, though. . ."

"Any jerky in there?" asked Daryl. Rick pulled a long jar out of the box, and tossed it to him.

"I wonder what Maggie is doing right now." said Glen, as Rick rolled his eyes.

Daryl said, "Now, don't you worry about Maggie. She's a warrior. So are Carol and Michonne."

"Yeah, I'm sure they're puttin' up a good fight." said Rick, as he dropped the box into the floor, and kicked it; spreading it's contents all over the floor. "Dammit!" he screamed. "Now I know how fuckin' prisoners feel."

"Sucks, don't it?" Daryl said, as he ripped off a piece of the jerky.

"I'll never lock anybody up again. Goddammit! I'll go fuckin' crazy by morning."

Glen said, "Hey. . .watch the language - there's children in the room."

"Yeah," said Carl. "Watch your Goddamn shit-kickin' mother-fuckin' mouth. There's children in the room."

Daryl laughed, but Rick didn't think it was too funny, and he pointed his index finger at Carl. "Carl?" Rick looked over to Daryl, who was grinning. "Aw, shut the fuck up, Goddammit!"

Glen echoed, "Goddammit!"

Daryl joined in. "Yeah, Goddammit!"

"Godammit!" said Carl.

Rick looked at the floor and shook his head. "I'll bet Beth is worried sick. She's probably scared, since we didn't come back."

"She'll be okay 'til mornin'." said Daryl, who was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Well, when we finally get out of here, I'm goin' after that son of a bitch, and I'm not stoppin' until I've put a bullet in his hide." He stopped, then said, "Goddammit!"

They all were silent for a moment. Then, Glen said, "You know, I'll bet Maggie is spitting fire right now. . ."

The girls were all laughing, as they tried on every dress in the store. Billy, who now was calling himself Billy the Bartender, kept the champagne flowing, and the music blasting.

Maggie spun around in a circle, which expanded the pleats in her dress, and it opened like an umbrella in a coctail.

"Ooo! I like this one!" she giggled.

Michonne smiled. "It looks really good on you."

Billy chimed in, "Girls, I must say that we all look amazing. . ."

"Here, Here!" chimed in Carol, as she raised her glass.

"But. . ." he lost his balance, and almost fell over. "But. . .we've got other places to be, so. . .

Michonne echoed, "So. . ."

"So. . .sack up your stuff, ladies. We've got other places to be!" Billy called out, as he handed paper bags to the ladies.

Maggie said, "Uh. . .are you okay to drive?"

Billy answered, "Sure, we're not going far."

The girls bagged up their stuff, and place them in the trunk of the limo. They lined up by the back door, but Billy was at the door of another shop. "Ladies. . ." she called out. "Uh. . .we're over here now!"

The girls looked at each other. Carol shrugged, and the girls followed Billy into the next store.

"Oh, my!" said Michone, as they realized they were in a jewelry store. There were diamonds everywhere. Gold, silver. . .rubies and emeralds.

This sobered Maggie up a little. "Billy," she said, in a little girls tone, "we can't do this. . ."

"Why not?" answered Billy. "We're just gathering the natural resources."

"Yeah, but. . ."

"Okay. . .okay," Billy yelled. "How about this; we'll just borrow them for the night. We can bring everything back tomorrow. Besides, it's not like anyone's gonna miss them."

Michonne looked at Maggie. "He's got a point. . ." she said.

"Oh, my!" said Carol, as she looked around the room. "That's a lot of bling. . ."

"Yeah. . .okay, Billy. But we're gonna bring everything back tomorrow. . ."

"Yes, ma'am," Billy agreed, as he tried on a necklace. "Tell me, do I look like the belle of the ball?"

"You look stunning, my dear." said Michonne, as Billy fell backwards.

Soon, the girls were covered in jewels. Billy informed them that it was time to go to the next location. He held the limo door for the girls, then jumped behind the wheel. They stopped outside a restaurant called "the Velvet Gourmet".

The girls piled out of the car. "What's this?" Michonne asked.

"It's dinnertime, ladies. I certainly hope you are hungry."

"I'm famished." said Maggie.

"Good. . .because tonight, the Velvet Gourmet features that world famous chef. . .renown throughout the world, The one. . .the only. . .Billy the Magnificent!"

Carol grinned. "Say, aren't you tootin' that horn a little loud. . ."

"You'll see. . .you'll see. Com'on, now. . .your table is waiting."

The restaurant was dark, except for one table that had a candle burning. It was more of a booth, that had a tall backing. As the girls slid in, Michonne asked if there was a menu they could look over. Billy explained that there was a

limited menu this evening, and that it was 'chef's choice'. The evening started out with an appetizer plate containing fried mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, mushroom caps stuffed with crab and cheese. There was deep fried

zucchini with ranch sauce, and a small shrimp cocktail. The girls tried to explain to Billy that these appetizers were enough, but Billy insisted, telling the girls that they could always take what they didn't eat home in a doggie bag. He opened a bottle of red wine. Maggie said she didn't really care for a full-bodied red, but by the second glass, she had obviously changed her mind.

There was a small bowl of a wonderful vegetable soup, followed by some baked brie with fruit. Again, the girls insisted that they were stuffed. . .until the girls saw the steaks. Steaks! They all agreed that they hadn't seen any beef since the apocalypse started. Somehow, the girls found the room. . .and all agreed that it was by far and away the best steak they had ever tasted in their life. That should have been it, but Billy prepared a flaming banana flambé for dessert. The dinner ended with coffee and chocolate. They sat back in their booth, drained of all energy due to this magnificent feast.

"Billy!" Maggie called out. He ran to their table. . .still wearing the blonde wig, but it was stuffed into a hairnet.

"Yes, Maggie. . .is there anything else you'd like?"

"I just wanted to tell you. . ." she snickered. "Billy. . .You're the man!"

"Here, here!" Carol agreed.

When Billy brought the girls back to the motel, they thanked him for such a wonderful evening. He assured them that soon, he wouldn't have to lock them in at night; he still had an initiation for the guys to perform.

At eight o'clock the next morning, the guys heard the clicking of tumblers, and the great door of the vault swung open. They didn't waste any time leaving their cell, and walked slowly back to the home base. Beth was so happy to see them, she left Judith sleeping as she ran out to meet them.

"Oh, thank God!" Beth said, "I was afraid they got you guys, too."

"We're fine." said Rick. "We got locked in the vault at the bank until this morning. How's Judith?"

"Judith!" she screamed, as she ran back into the house. The boys followed. As they entered the room, they saw the baby was still sleeping soundly. Beth sighed, "Thank God."

Rick informed Beth that it was a very long and sleepless night, so they were going to catch a little sleep before continuing the search.

It was two hours later when Daryl woke Rick. It seems that, somehow, They had gotten Glen, right from under their noses.

When Glen awoke, he found himself blindfolded and duct taped to a chair in the middle of a dark room. Suddenly, he heard a voice. "Glen. . .welcome!"

"Who is that?" he demanded.

Billy pulled Glen's blindfold off. He squinted as his eye's became accustomed to the light.

"Glen, my name is Billy. . .Billy the Blacksmith."

"Are you the son of a bitch that took Maggie?"

He smiled. "The one and only."

"Where is she?"

"She's. . .uh. . .close."

"What have you done with her?"

"All in due time. . .Glen." His tone had become somewhat condescending. "Right now, I'm going to give you a chance to change your destiny."

"My destiny?"

"Yes. Right now, I can see your future. And it isn't pleasant. . .Glen."

"Where's Maggie?"

"Even now. . .Glen, right now. . .you are done. . .finished. . .it's all over for you. That is, unless you let me help you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well. . .Glen. . .I'm going to give you a chance to join us in our little. . .club."

"I wouldn't join you if my life depended on it."

"Well, I think you might change your mind if. . ."

Glen interrupted him, and started screaming for help at the top of his lungs.

Billy slapped him. "Hey, listen to me for a minute. If you can just follow instructions for just a minute or two, your nightmare will be done."

"What do you know about my nightmare? You. . .you are my nightmare. Now tell me, where is Maggie?"

"She neglected to tell me how stubborn you are. Now listen up. . .this is called the 'Ek', and it can save your life. . ."

"Help me! Somebody help me!" he screamed.

Billy placed the little necklace over Glen's head and held the box out so he could see it. "Glen. . .all you have to do is remain quiet for about two minutes. If you can do that. . .I promise you. . .your nightmare will be over, once and for

all."

"How's that? Are you gonna kill me? Is that what you mean, you son of a bitch?"

"You'll see. I'm going to open the 'Ek' now."

As soon as the odor hit Glen's nose, he screamed, "Oh, my God! What the hell is that? It sticks so bad. . .so bad. . .so. . ." With that, Glen threw up all down the front of his shirt, and on his chin. He threw up a second time, just in

case he had anything left in his stomach. "Oh, my God! That is the stickiest stuff I've ever smelled. Close it up. . .Close it up, Goddammit!" He dry heaved a few times.

"Quiet! Just be quiet, now. It'll all be over in a minute."

As soon as Glen saw the walkers coming toward him, he began to scream in a high, falsetto voice. And his voice got higher and higher. . .until Maggie screamed out, "Glen. . .hush up!"

Glen said, "Maggie?" Then he began, screaming Maggie's name, and crying. The walkers were all over him, snapping their teeth, when Billy ran in and started killing them off. When the last walker was dead, Billy asked Glen about having a death wish. Maggie followed him into the room.

"Glen, you never were in any danger. And I was standing just over on the other side of this wall."

"Maggie. . .you're alive!"

She bent down and whispered, "Y'know, that was kind of. . .embarrassing."

"I. . .I thought he was going to feed me to the walkers."

"Billy wouldn't do that. It turns out, he's a great guy. . .he was trying to give you a present. . .but, you wouldn't listen. . ."

"I didn't know what he may have done to you. . .or the other girls he snatched."

"We're all fine, Glen. As a matter of fact, we're better than fine. Our nightmare is over, just like he said."

"What d'ya mean?"

"This stinky stuff. . .the 'Ek'. . .it makes you completely invisible to walkers. . .like Michonne's pets, only better."

Maggie looked up at Billy. "Guess he didn't pass the initiation, huh?"

"Well, no. . .but, I guess, in his case, we can give him a pass. I would imagine anyone who lost a wonderful girl like you would probably go a little crazy."

"Dude. . .that's my wife you're talking about." Glen snapped.

Maggie put her foot down. "Shut up, Glen." She pulled a knife and cut him loose from the chair. Then, she used it to cut a piece of flannel from one of the dead walkers' shirts, for Glen to wipe the vomit from his face.

On the way back to the motel, Billy told Glen that he had put him in the room next to Maggie. He said, "We're married. That means we sleep in the same room. . .Together!" Billy explained that there was a common door to both rooms; that he really could care less about the sleeping arrangements. . .there was just too much stuff to fit in one room.

Daryl was hunting when he came across Billy. He was point blank with his crossbow, when he let the arrow fly. Billy managed to deflect the arrow with one hand, and hit the end of the crossbow with the other. The stock of the crossbow popped up, and caught Dayrl just under his chin, and knocked him out. He awoke taped to the chair. Unlike Glen, Daryl never said a word. . .never seemed in the least bit nervous. . .he just gazed at Billy, until he sent the walkers in. Even then, Daryl just sat there, cool as a cucumber. The only thing he said was when he repeated, "The only good walker is a dead walker."

It was early in the afternoon, and Beth was putting Judith down for her nap. As usual, she sang a little song, which always calmed Judith down. She didn't know that Billy was listening outside the window. Just as Judith was starting

to doze off, Billy opened the door to the room. Tears were falling down his face.

"I surrender," he said, as he put his staff down in front of Beth and bowed low. "Everyone I've ever met, I've disarmed. You, Beth, have disarmed me. You have the sweetest voice that I've ever heard. . .like an angel, not of this earth. I surrender. You can take me to your leader."

She didn't know what to do. She just looked at the big man, bowing before her. Finally, she called out, "Er. . .ah. . .Rick!"

Rick rushed into the room. When he saw Billy, he pulled his pistol and said, "What the. . ."

Carl came in after that. His jaw dropped to the floor. "Dad," he said, "that's the guy we saw in the woods."

Rick looked at Billy, still pointing his pistol at him. "Are you the one that stole our people."

"Yes!" he said, "And they are all fine. Safe and sound. Would you like to see them?"

"Uh. . .Yeah. . .Yeah I would."

"Well, come with me!" Billy said. "All of you. . .even Judith. . .ya'll come along."

Billy took Rick to Carol's room. Carol told him that he had nothing to fear from Billy, and that everyone was fine. . .even better than fine. At that point, Rick finally put his gun away. Billy asked Rick how long it had been since he had a nice, hot shower, then showed him to his room. Rick and Carl had a room each, with a common door between them. He had even found a crib for the baby. He and Carl took a long shower, and put on the new clothes that were waiting for them.

"Rick," said Billy, "before we go to dinner, I would like to show you something. It's pretty important. . ."

"Well, alright. Is it okay with everybody else?" Rick asked.

"He's right, Rick." said Carol. "It is important."

Everyone piled into the limousine, and Billy took them into the school. He had Rick to set in the chair, as Maggie and Michonne dust taped him down.

He was confused. "What is this?" he said.

"You'll see. . ." said Maggie. "You're gonna like it. . .so don't worry."

"Well, alright." he replied.

Once he was immobilized, Billy showed him the 'Ek', then turned the walkers loose. Rick's eyes grew wide as the walkers approached, but he remained silent, as the walkers meandered around the room. Billy finally opened the exit

door, and the walkers left.

"Okay," said Rick. "What just happened?"

"It's the 'Ek', Rick. It makes you invisible to walkers. You can be right next to them, and they cannot see you. You can kill them, and they won't put up a fight. You can walk along with them, and they don't have a clue."

"Invisible to walkers?" It took a minute or two for Rick to get it. But then, he said, "We don't have to be afraid anymore!"

Billy laughed. "Now you're getting it! Life, as you have known it, has changed. Your nightmare is over! There's just one thing left to do."

"What's that?" Rick asked.

Billy said, "Repeat after me. . .The only good walker is a dead walker."

Everyone in unison said, "The only good walker is a dead walker!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was one heck of a dinner they ate that night. Billy prepared steak and lobster for everyone. They drank fine wine and stuffed themselves until they were ready to pop. And for the first time in a long time, everyone slept well. There were no locks on the doors that night. There were no walkers creeping up on them in their sleep. The boys had new clothing in their rooms, but there were a few problems. . .like Billy had cut all of the sleeves from Daryl's shirts, and

Glen didn't wear a lot of authentic Chinese rickshaw classics. He had those fixed before they went to bed.

Billy knocked on Rick's door the next morning, and met him with a large cup of hot coffee.

"I know that you must have a million questions, so go ahead and shoot." he said.

"How many are in your group?" Rick asked.

"Group? Oh. . .uh. . .it's just me and my dad."

"Your dad?"

"Uh-huh. We didn't even know there were other survivors until I came upon your son and Beth that day in the woods. I kinda followed you around for a bit to get your stories and see what kind of people you are."

"Okay. . .well, how did you get all those doors fixed in town, after we. . .Y'know, busted them in? I mean, that was too big a job for one person."

"I work fast and. . .uh. . .I don't sleep."

"You don't sleep?"

"Nope. . .never have. Oh, I might close my eyes for about fifteen or twenty minutes at night, but I don't really sleep."

"What is this 'Ek' stuff you developed?"

"Well, if you want, I'll take you guys out to the place where we make it."

"Okay, I think we'd like that. Next question: I noticed there isn't any walkers here, except for those last night."

"That one's easy. . .the only good walker is a dead walker."

"What? You killed 'em all off?"

"Yeah. Daddy says that once they've turned, they can't go back."

"That's right. Sounds like your dad is a pretty smart man."

"Yeah. He's a doctor."

"A doctor. . .you mean, like. . .an M. D.?"

"Yeah, he had a medical practice here in town before. . ."

"I'd like to meet him."

"Oh, you will. He just stays real busy all the time. Tomorrow would probably be good. . .we could do a dinner out there. . .give you guys a chance to get to know one another."

"I'd like that, Billy. Another question. . .How'd you get those steaks? Most of the meat we've seen was spoiled, unless it was canned."

"Well, when it all came down, I started fencing things off, you know, to keep the riff-raff out. It's easier if I just show you."

"Let's give everyone else time to get up an' around. Then, let's go out an' see this 'Ek' plant of yours."

It was almost noon before everyone got around. But, eventually, everyone got it together, and piled into the limousine. The ride out to the 'Ek' plant was something else. Billy could really cook a steak, but he was an awful driver. The limo would slide this way and that. He was all over the road, but, eventually he got everyone to their destination.

It was quite the sight. There was a huge fence, and behind it, walkers. . .lots of them. The fence went as far as the eye could see. It was narrow, too. . .the walkers were only three or four deep, but they went as far as the fence did. The other side of the fence went into a junk yard.

"This is it!" said Billy. "Now, ya'll listen up. Millions of years ago, all of this land was covered in dinosaurs. Then, something happened, and all of the dinosaurs died. Over the years, the dinosaurs' bodies decayed, and became covered with earth. Eventually, this stuff became oil, which we use to power cars, and planes, we even used it to create electricity. Are you guys with me so far?"

Everyone agreed.

"Well, now. We got a problem with these walkers. It seems that the only thing they're good for is killing and eating you. Other than that, they're pretty worthless." He began walking into the junk yard. "Ya'll follow me!"

The smell of the 'Ek' suddenly hit everyone at once. Glen looked like he was going to hurl again. Billy said, "This is probably as far as we can go, right now. Ya'll look over yonder." He pointed to the front of the junkyard. "Ya'll see that? It's a giant compactor. We'd use it to squash junk cars once upon a time. Well, we got this problem with the walkers. You see where I'm going with this? Instead of cars, we squish the walkers. Now, when you squish a bunch of walkers, there's this residue left. . .that residue is the 'Ek'. It gives off various gases, like methane for one. Anyway, we discovered that the 'Ek' isn't just good for making you invisible to walkers, but the fumes it gives off are extremely flammable. It'll take your breath away, so if you get too close, you need to use a breathing apparatus. . .you know, like firefighters wear into a burning building.

Rick was trying to stay on top of the conversation. "Which means that. . .?

"It means that the fumes given off by the 'Ek' can be used to run our cars. . .we use it to power the electric plant. . .to run refrigerators and freezers. I put up all these fences. They get more narrow, the further you go. I also found out that walkers are attracted to a certain tone. . .it's a B-flat, but in a higher register than we can hear. . .kinda like a dog whistle. Well, I blast that tone through those civil defense sirens. That makes the walkers come, and the fences get narrower and narrower. . .eventually ending up here where the walkers are harvested for their 'Ek'. It only takes a little 'Ek' to give off a lot of fumes. . .so, you put a little 'Ek' into a gas tank and. . .well, every car I've put the 'Ek' in is still running off of the fumes. Now, ya'll follow me. . ."

Billy left the junk yard and walked to a huge brick building across the street. "Ya'll com'on, now. Check this out." Billy pulled out his enormous ring of keys, found one, and stuck it into the lock on the door. "Ya'll com'on in. . ." He walked over to a fuse box, and flipped some switches, causing the lights to come on. "Check this out!"

There were containers upon containers filled with 'Ek'. A whole warehouse full of them. There were also refrigerators and freezers. Billy explained that there were also farms here and there. . .mostly in back yards, and just outside of town. Billy continued. "I put a fence up around this town, then led the walkers to walk around it."

Rick interrupted. "We had fences. . .good strong fences at the prison. Yet, the walkers managed to get through it."

Billy answered. "Well, yeah, that was a bit of a problem for awhile. But, I found that if I planted kudzu around it, it strengthened the fence enough that the walkers wouldn't tear it down. Besides, once they hear the siren, they act like they're hypnotized or something. They develop tunnel vision, and devote all of their being into following the siren. . .right into the smasher!"

Carl spoke up. "What 'bout the night me an' Beth saw you in the woods?"

Billy laughed. "Well, Carl, sometimes I just get bored. So, I'll go out of the fence to tangle with some walkers, Y'know, just for fun. . .to stay frosty, I think is the way Rick put it. So, anyway, that's the plan. Now, if ya'll go back to the limo, I'll take us back to the motel.

This time, Daryl spoke up. "Uh. . .Billy, why don't you let me drive, this time. You can sit up front with me, and show me the way to go."

"Sure!" said Billy, "Let's go!"

The next morning, Billy spent a little time with everyone. . .getting to know them better and learning their back stories. At one point, Billy asked Rick if he could borrow Carl for awhile. . .saying he needed his help with something. Rick said okay, but asked if Michonne could go along also. Billy thought that was a marvelous idea. So, the three of them walked to main street. Billy fished through his keys again, found the one he was looking for, and slowly, removed it from the ring.

"Carl, I've got a present for you. . .I really think you'll like it."

Carl was curious, and Michonne was a little bit leery. Billy handed the key he had just removed to Carl. He said, "You see that thin building between the sheriff's office and the hardware store?"

Carl spotted it immediately. "Sure. . .I see it!"

"It's yours. It, and everything in it. I'm sure it'll be something you'll like."

"Really?" Carl said. "But I'm just a kid."

"That's kind of the point!" Billy laughed. "Ya'll go on and check it out. I'll meet ya at the motel later." And he left.

Carl and Michonne looked at each other, then walked to the thin building. All it said on the outside was "Cooper's". Carl placed the key in the lock and turned it. There was a light switch right by the door. Carl flipped it. . .

It was a newsstand! But, it had more than newspapers. It was full of comic books! And magazines! And next to the cash register, there was a plethera of chocolate and candies of every kind!

"Oh, my!" said Michonne, as she selected a candy bar. She opened the rapper and smelled it. "Oh, my!" she repeated again, as she closed her eyes, and bit down. "Mmmmm!"

"Look at all of these comic books. . .it'll take over a year to read all of these!" Carl spouted.

"Mmm. . .Mmm! Oh, thank you, Billy!" She said to the air, as she started going through the magazines.

Carl rifled through a pile of comics, picking out about half a dozen to start. He said, "Y'know, maybe we oughta make this our little secret for awhile. . .give us a chance to get to know our way around."

"Sounds like a plan!" Michonne answered, smiling.

They gathered a few things, turned out the lights, and locked up.

Billy had yet to gather clothes for Beth and the baby, so he took the blonde and the baby with him to pick things out. He tried to get her to come into the jewelry store, but she outright refused. . .saying something about how diamonds

should mean something more. . .Billy didn't get it, but reasoned that it was probably not a good idea to argue with her. She really seemed to enjoy picking out clothes for Judith. She didn't get much for herself. . .a couple of pairs of blue

jeans, and a dress or two; nothing fancy. And she did get a little tired of Billy asking her to sing something.

But it was so funny, watching the way that Judith wrapped Billy around her little finger. He was so nervous about holding her. . .fearing he would unwittingly hurt her somehow. If she liked something, she would coo. . .if she didn't, she would scream. Billy drew the line at changing the diaper, which made Beth laugh. When she picked out some clothes for him, he blushed. When it came to Beth, Billy was a really good listener. The more comfortable she felt, the more she would talk. . .about growing up on the farm. . .all about Hershel, and how the walkers took their farm. She talked a lot about life before the. . ."

There was an awkward silence at one point. Judith was in her new carrier, and was sleeping soundly.

Eventually, Beth said, "Billy, how old are you?"

He answered, "Uh. . .I don't think I should tell. . .

"Oh, com'on. . .how old?"

"Guess. . ."

"Well, let's see," said Beth, looking him over from top to bottom. "You're in really good shape. . .you seem quite healthy. . .uh. . .I'd guess you are about. . .oh. . .twenty-five.

He sat silent for a moment, then, with a deep sigh, he said, "Uh. . .I'm only nineteen."

"Nineteen? I would have taken you for much older."

"Really?"

"You seem quite mature for your age."

"Aw. . .I ain't so much."

"Look at all you've done. . .what with the fences and the 'Ek". . .You've saved all that food. . .and you still find time to take care of your dad."

"Dad! I forgot, we're suppose to have dinner tonight with Dad. We ought to get back." He drove like a bat out of hell to get back to the Motel. Billy told Rick that he would be by with the limo at about four o'clock, to take everyone out

to meet his father. Then he vanished.

It was amazing, the way everyone felt so much better, just by being able to take a shower, and put on clean clothes. Everyone wanted to make a good impression on Billy's dad, so they spent a little longer getting ready. By the time the limo arrived, they were all getting hungry. Billy hadn't had the time to change, as he had been working on their dinner since he left them. It was obvious that he felt under-dressed. . .as a matter of fact, he just seemed uncomfortable all the way around. Beth noticed, and sat up front with Billy.

"Billy," she asked. "Are you nervous about tonight?"

"Uh. . .yeah. . .a little."

"How come?"

"Well, I haven't introduced anyone to Dad in a long time. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever introduced anyone to my dad. . .ever."

"I think you'll be just fine. Do you think your dad'll try to embarrass you?"

"I don't know. . .how can he do that?"

"You know. . .telling stories about you, growing up!

Billy seemed to contemplate this for a minute, but didn't understand what she meant. Beth's jaw dropped open.

"You mean to tell me that you've never done anything. . .uh. . .stupid?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, Billy. . .you're not stupid. You're probably the smartest one of our group. . ."

He interrupted her. "Believe me, by far and away, my Dad's definitely the smartest."

"Haven't you ever made a mistake that was just so unbelievably. . .uh. . .beneath your intelligence?"

"I'm starting to think that tonight may be a mistake. . ."

"Billy, just don't worry about it. I'm really looking forward to meeting your dad. . ."

"You are?"

"Yes. I want to find out more about you. . .how you grew up. . .who your friends are. . .how did you learn to do so many things. I want to get his perspective on what happened, and how everything turned so bad so fast."

The limo drove down Main Street, and almost out of town before hanging a right. . .

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Carol, as she looked out the window at the beautiful magnolia trees spaced so perfectly. Then, there was the house. It was huge. . .white. . .with giant columns in the front. Billy pulled up to the front door.

"What a beautiful house!" Carol exclaimed.

Billy was excited. "Wait. . .wait 'til you see it! Come this way." Billy led them around to the back of the house, and in through a back door. "Look here. . .here!"

Carol said, "This that an incubator?"

Billy laughed. That's right, it's an incubator. And do you see what's on the inside?"

Carol walked up to the glass. . ."Eggs?" she said as she looked into the bottom of the incubator.

Bill jumped up and down. "Yes. . .they're eggs. Chicken eggs, to be more precise. I found a couple left in a small chicken coup, just outside of town. Now, I don't know a whole lot about chickens, but I firmly believe that these are

fertilized eggs."

"Fertilized eggs?" asked Carl.

"Yes. . .yes. . .yes! Once these eggs hatch, we just might have chickens again! Won't that be great? How long has it been since you've seen a chicken?"

"Uh. . .since Hershel's farm." Carl said.

Carol said, "I cannot wait to see the rest of your house!"

"Well. . .we can't get in there from here." He pointed toward a door. "That's the door to dad's laboratory. He always keeps that locked. I don't even have a key for that one. Come with me. . .let's go on in." He led them back out the way they came in, and back around to the front door.

Maggie said, "This sure is a beautiful house, Billy."

Billy said, "My dad will tell you all about it, if you ask him." He led them inside.

The house was emasculate. . .filled with the most wonderful antique furniture. Everyone gathered in the parlor, as Billy opened a bottle of champagne, and poured everyone a glass. He then left them alone for a moment, leaving through a door, then re-entered with an elderly man. He was tall, and kind of bowed over a bit. He had white hair, which was a little long, and was slightly balding on the top. He wore an off-white suit with a string tie and wire-rimmed glasses. With his white moustache and goatee, he looked like a tall, thin Colonel Sanders. He spoke up at once.

"Friends, I welcome you to Pitchford Plantation. I am Doctor Eugene Beauregard Bailey. This here plantation has belonged to my family since it's creation way back in 1620. In those days, Pitchford Plantation encompassed the

entire county, and grew a wide variety of produce and stock for commerce. Our Coosa Valley Extra Fancy Peaches are still grown here, and only here, and are considered the best in the world. Although the last few years have witnessed a

period of under attention, I believe you might just find a few left in the orchard. If you would like, I'll have Billy take you on a tour of our plots at a latter date. Some of our structures here predate the revolutionary war. In the meantime,

please accept our deepest heartfelt gratification at your presence here.

Rick was the first to speak up. "Thank you, Dr. Bailey. It is our privilege to be here."

"We didn't realize anyone else had survived this plague. I am so glad that civilization still has a chance."

The Doctor turned to Rick, and held out his hand. "You must be Rick. Billy tells me that you are the one who held your group together, despite insurmountable obstacles, and brought them here." With a firm grip, he shook Rick's hand. "I cannot imagine what you went through. It had to be like hell on earth."

"Well," said Rick, "It wasn't a cake walk. Sir, this is my son, Carl."

The doctor looked down. "Carl, eh?" He shook his head. "You wouldn't happen to be. . .some sort of big-shot, would ya?" Carl shook his head, no. "Well, then. . .I guess we'll just have to teach ya!" The doctor let out a horse-

laugh that you could probably hear in Atlanta. Carl didn't think it was very funny.

The doctor moved on. "You must be Daryl. Billy says he's never seen anyone better with a crossbow. I speculate that you must be a true Son of the South?"

Daryl was both unimpressed and cautious. "Um-hum. . ." he grunted.

"God bless Dixie!" he chuckled as he moved on. "You must be Carol. I understand you taught the young ones when there was no formal education in this country. You know, education is the most important thing that has ever existed, and is what separates us from all the other creatures. I am so happy that you understood that." Carol smiled a little, as the Doctor continued. He extended his hand to Michonne, and looked her in the eye. "Young lady, I understand that you are one fierce warrior. I thank you for your service. Welcome to my home." Michonne shook his hand, then downed her glass of champagne.

"Let me guess. . .you must be Glen and Maggie. . .welcome. And. . ." He stood silent for a moment, and stared at Beth and the baby. "Oh, my. . ." He suddenly became emotional. His voice broke, like that of a teenager in puberty,

and a tear welled up in his eye. "Oh, my, my. . ." He brushed the tear away. "Ahem. . .do you think I might. . ." Slowly, he reached out for the baby. Beth looked over to Rick, who shook his head granting permission, and the doctor took the youngster into his arms. She made a bit of a face at first, but reached out her hand to pull at his moustache. The doctor smiled the biggest smile, and began to chuckle. "I hadn't dreamed that any little one's had made it through this

catastrophe. But, here she is. . .a little angel." Judith had a way of disarming a person, as she began to babble and coo. The doctor held her close. "Oh, my dear. . .Beth, you must forgive my manners. Welcome, my dear. . .welcome." He bounced Judith a little in his arms. "Do you mind if I hold on to her for awhile? It's just been so long. . ."

"Go ahead, doc. . .I think she likes you!" Beth giggled.

"How long before the. . .uh. . .was she born?"

Rick spoke up. "Actually, she was born after the. . ."

The doctor interrupted him. "After? Really?"

Rick shot a curious look to the doctor, as he continued to play with the baby.

"You all look rather healthy for what you've been through. If you don't mind, I'd like to thoroughly examine each of you, say, tomorrow. As for tonight, I believe that Billy has concocted one of his auspicious culinary delights for us."

Rick chimed in. "Your son, Billy. . .he seems to be a fine boy. You must be proud."

"Billy is indeed an enigma. He retains everything he reads, which gives him an air of intelligence. Yet, there seems to be something missing. . .he doesn't really grasp the social customs or consequences of his actions. I suppose that I blame myself for this. I home schooled him, since he had so many problems dealing with the other children. . .therefore, he didn't learn so many of the social laws and actions that we all take for granted. Because of this flaw, I have refused to give him my last name. Maybe, someday, he will find himself worthy of such. . .but, as of yet, he just doesn't fill the requirements.

Glen retorted, "Doesn't that seem a little. . .uh. . .harsh. . ."

"Sir. . .one's name is an important and personal matter, indeed. Each generation has it's achievers and scalawags, and through all the ups and downs, the name remains. Therefore, it should be the goal of everyone to aspire to raise the family name by his own achievement in life. Our family is a proud family, consisting of some of the greatest thinkers of our time. This here plantation, where we in my family were all raised, is a testament to our own unique talents and intelligence. My own great, great grandfather was the first physician to set foot in this 'new world'. It was his son that created this here plantation. One of our ancestors taught botany at the newly created University of

Georgia, and is responsible for our particular line of peaches that has made our name famous throughout the world. Our family line consists of kings and queens, knights and land barons. We are some of the greatest thinkers of our

time, and have used our minds to actually change the world. It is a prideful thing to be a true Son of the South, so. . .no, sir. I do not consider it 'harsh' to withhold our glorious family name to one who has not yet shown the promise or prowess to regard it to the height and breadth of importance as our forefathers did.

Glen was shaken. "Uh, I. . .uh. . .I didn't mean to insult you, sir. . .guess I spoke without thinking."

The doctors' demeanor changed back to it's original good-heartedness. "That's okay, son. I sometimes forget that everyone isn't southern born and bread, and just doesn't understand what it means to be a true 'Son of the South'. My apologies."

The dinner was to die for. . .and Billy looked proud by the time dessert arrived. The conversation consisted of what everyone did before and how they arrived to this point in space and time. The doctor listened intently to each of them as they told their unique stories. The doctor and Rick had hit it off immediately. . .as if they had known each other in a past life. They had several gut-busting laughs over cigars and brandy at the end of the evening. The doctor had started looking a little peeked, so he excused himself in typical southern fashion, and had Billy to take him up to bed. Shortly after that, Billy returned and took the crew back to the motel.

It was about noon the next day when Billy returned again with the limo, and drove everyone back to the plantation for their check-ups. The good doctor had a small examination room in the large house. One by one, he gave each person his undivided attention as he poked and prodded, questioned and examined everything about their life and health. He drew blood, too, which Carl and Michonne objected to at first, but, then submitted to, not wanting to upset their host. He also gave each one a shot of vitamins and other nutrients. They had finished before six, and Billy had gotten everyone back before the sun went down.

Everyone seemed to have their own projects going on, so Billy and Carl snuck off for a quick driving lesson. Carl set behind the wheel, as Billy told Carl everything he knew about driving. Carl put the car in gear and pressed the gas

pedal way too hard, and again crashed into a tree. Billy seemed put out a little. They took another car from the street, and Billy explained to Carl that it was of the utmost importance that one should be going exactly thirty-six miles per hour before hitting a tree. . .that way the airbags would deploy, but not actually hurt you when they did. Then, he demonstrated, as they wrecked another car. After that, they were walking toward the newsstand when Carl asked Billy if he had the keys for the sheriff's office. Billy said, "Of course," as he searched the enormous key ring for the right one. Then Carl asked if they could go inside for a moment, which they did. Carl found a copy of the 'driver's handbook', and asked Billy if he had ever read it. He seemed a little embarrassed as he admitted that he had not. Carl took a copy for himself, also. They stopped by the newsstand for a moment so Carl could grab a couple of comic books, and they both took a 'super sucker' from the candy area. The two sat on the curb, the sticks from the suckers jetting from their mouths. Carl pulled his out and looked at it. He chuckled, "Y'know, my mom wouldn't let me eat these things before supper. She'd say, 'You'll ruin your appetite'." Billy looked up to the sky, but didn't say anything. Carl looked at the big man, but only saw the little kid inside of him. "What was your mother like?"

"I dunno." Billy said, still looking off into the distance. "I never met her."

"Really?" Carl said, pinching up his face.

"Yeah," he said. "Dad never talks about her, either. Ever."

They sat there in silence for a bit, then Carl said, "Does it hurt you that your dad won't give you his last name?"

Billy looked up into the air and said, "No. . .not really. I don't mind being Billy the Blacksmith or Billy the Cook, or even Billy the Fuck-up. 'Cause I know someday, I'll be Billy Bailey."

Carl squinted. "You mean, Bill Bailey". Billy seemed lost. "You know, like the song. . ."

Billy smiled. "Oh, yeah. . .the song. . .Hey, that reminds me. . .I've got a couple of things to do. Let's go."

The two walked back to the motel, where Carl asked if he wanted to come up, but Billy insisted he had something important to do. As he was leaving, he saw Beth and Judith playing by the pool. "Beth," he said, interrupting the game of 'patty-cake'. "Do you know that song about Bill Bailey?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "Oh, yeah. . ." and she began to sing. "Won't you come home, Bill Bailey. Won't you come home. . ."

He listened intently to the first verse, then, thanked her and went on his way. Of course, after that, the song was stuck in her head, and she hummed the melody all the rest of the night.

It was early the next morning, when the telephone rang in Rick's room. He was still about half asleep, as he automatically answered it. It was Billy, inviting everyone to a picnic in the park that afternoon. Rick said he was sure everyone would enjoy that, then mentioned that was the first phone call he had gotten since. . .

A pleasant morning turned into a beautiful afternoon, as everyone began to arrive at the park. The first thing they noticed was the sound of music, as Billy had set up a make-shift disc jockey booth and was pumping out pre-recorded

classic rock music. The smell of charcoal filled the air, as Billy, wearing an apron and chef's hat, invited everyone to sample his mixed grill. There were steaks, chicken, shrimp, pork chops. . .even hot dogs and hamburgers. He had

iced down a keg of draft beer, as well as soft drinks and sweet tea. Billy had even made a gigantic strawberry shortcake for dessert. Everyone ate and danced until their bellies were distended. After the dessert, Billy changed into a tuxedo, and took the microphone in hand. He screamed into the microphone. "Rick Grimes. . .how would you like to win a NEW CAR?"

Rick shook his head, then walked down to join Billy.

"Billy," he said, "What're you doin'?"

Billy hung his head, then said into the microphone. "Look, you guys. I talked it over with dad, and. . .well. . .we decided that we would like it very much if you guys would just stay here with us. We've got all the supplies that we would ever need. . .each of you could pick out their own house. . .drive a brand new car. We could become our own community. You would be safe here from the walkers. And, even if trouble did happen to find us, we could face it down together. What I'm asking you guys is this, Rick. Would you. . .be my neighbor?" He shoved the microphone into Rick's face.

Rick just glared at him for a moment in silence. Billy turned the microphone off, and hung his head. Finally, Rick turned around and walked back to his crew, and motioned for everyone to gather together. They all talked quietly for a moment. Then, after a bit, Rick walked back towards Billy. He stood there, staring for a moment. Billy was still hanging his head. He reached down and took the microphone from him, and turned it on.

"Billy," he said, stone-faced. "Me and my crew have been through thick and thin together. . .we learned how to survive together. We faced death and destruction together. And now, well. . .just let me say that. . .we would absolutely

. . .love. . .to live here with you. . .together!"

Billy smiled the biggest smile that anyone had ever smiled. His face looked like Christmas to a five year old. He began to dance around. Carol took the microphone from Rick.

"Billy," she said to the crowd. "I understand that you don't know anything about your mother. Well, that's a crying shame, because any woman worth her salt would be more than happy to have you as a son. . .even if you are a little. . .peculiar. Well, Billy. . .tell you what. From this minute, on. . .I will be your mother." She dropped the microphone and hugged the big lug.

"Oh. . .mommy!" he whispered, as he started to cry.

Daryl went over and picked up the microphone. "Billy. . .my family may not be as loud and proud as yours. . .but, if you want, you can call yourself Dixon. Hell, after me 'n Merle, anythin' would be an improvement." Everyone gathered around Billy, taking turns with the hugs.

Beth picked up the microphone. "Hey, Billy!" she said, "I could sure use a date for the prom."

He got this serious look on his face, and walked over to Beth, staring into her eyes. Carl snuck up behind him, and, with his foot, pushed behind his kneecap. . .causing Billy to almost loose his balance. "Guess you would be my big brother, now," he screamed. Billy put him into a head-lock, and began scrubbing his scalp with his knuckles.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Billy's driving suddenly got a lot better, and he traded his beat-up limo for one that was pristine. Carl's didn't, and there were smashed up cars all over the place. Billy spent a whole day as Billy the Wrecker, cleaning up Carl's mess from all over town, and towing them to the junk yard. He finally had to lay down the law, and insisted that Carl have an actual driver in the car with him before he tried again.

Life became pleasant again. Everyone decided to get a house on the same block, just in case trouble ever came knocking. Carl wanted his own place, but Rick said no. Billy took everyone down to the new car dealership, and everyone picked out a car. Everyone, that is, except for Carl. Rick insisted that he pass the driving test first, and he would give it out only once a month. He would wear his badge and carry his weapon on occasion. Every now and then, Rick, Daryl and Glen would gather breathing apparatus from the fire department, and help Billy with the 'Ek'. Billy still cooked for everyone a couple of times a week. Occasionally, they would all load up and have dinner with the doctor at the plantation. He would examine everyone to make sure they were all happy and healthy. Those nights always ended the same, with Rick and the doctor smoking cigars and drinking brandy.

Daryl and Michonne would get restless every now and then, so Billy would take them out beyond the fences to stay in practice. They never encountered anyone but walkers during those excursions. Billy would drive a big flat-bed truck to load the bodies onto. . .then they were sent through the crusher.

Rick couldn't believe the ammunition storage that Billy had amassed. He had quite the arsenal, too. Nothing major, but quite a good collection of small arms. . .handguns, shotguns and scoped rifles. About once a week, Rick would call for target practice. They would go down to the park, where he had set up targets, and blast away until dusk.

Even though everyone finally felt safe, Rick made it the law that everyone would wear the 'Ek' around their necks, just in case. Carl would follow Glen and Maggie around, and whenever they started to get romantic, he would open his 'Ek' just a little. No better way to break a mood. . .

One day, Rick decided that there was no more need for the walkers trapped in the high school, so he and Billy cleaned them out, and loaded the bodies onto the flat-bed.

A couple of days later, Beth received a small envelop dropped through the mail slot in her door. It was an invitation to the prom, along with a hand-written note from Billy, saying that all the clothing stores in town were unlocked, and she should pick out something formal. Beth took Maggie with her, and they had a giggle-fest all day long. She picked out the most beautiful pink dress that was long and sleek.

Billy picked her up that night in a blue Mustang convertible. She was impressed, but explained to him that she had spent a lot of time on her hair. He asked her if she wanted him to go and get the limo instead, but she didn't want him to go to all that trouble. She asked if he would mind keeping the top up. Billy was so cute. . .he had brought a corsage (an orchid that his father had grown), and really bumbled as he tried to pin it on her. He just seemed so nervous all the way around.

They drove to the high school. Billy opened the door for her (as he always did), and led her to the auditorium, which Billy had skillfully converted into a party hall, with crepe paper streamers and balloons. . .all done in pink and white. Billy said he had picked out those colors to go with her dress. She got a little flustered, and asked Billy how he knew what color dress she had picked out. Blushing, he confessed that Maggie had told him.

He had pre-recorded music playing. It was mostly oldies, and most of it geared for slow dancing. He had fixed a large bowl of cherry punch, for when she was thirsty, and some finger sandwiches, some cookies and cakes in case she got hungry. He had set up a camera, for pictures, and at one point, went up to the stage and announced that Beth was voted the Prom Queen, and brought out a little sash and tiara for her.

They talked and danced for hours. Billy explained that he had spent all his time studying, trying to live up to his dad's expectations, and that was his life. But he wanted to hear all about hers. He wanted to know things like what it was like to attend school with other people. He wanted to know what her friends were like, and how it felt to go to a football game. He wanted to know how many boyfriends she had, and were any of them special. He asked how she learned to sing, and what were her favorite things to do. He was a sponge, and the more she talked, the more comfortable she became.

By the end of the evening, she was holding his hand. They cruised around town with the top down a couple of times. Her poor hair was a tangled mess by the time she got home, but she didn't care. She held his hand, as he walked her to her front door. She said that she couldn't believe all the trouble he went through for her. He kissed her hand, then held it to his heart, and told her goodnight. As he was walking back to his car, she called his name. When he turned around, she ran into his arms and kissed him. He blushed and explained that he had never kissed anyone before. There was something about his honesty, his frailty, and those emerald green eyes that cut her to her soul. She

kissed him again and again, and then told him good-night. As she unlocked her door, she called out, "I'll see you again, Billy Boy!"

That reminded him of that song. It took him a minute to remember the words. Once he did, he sang all the way home.

Oh, where have you been,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Oh, where have you been,

Charming Billy?

I have been to seek a wife,

She's the idol of my life.

she's a young thing,

And cannot leave her mother.

Where does she live,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Oh, were does she live,

Charming Billy.

She lives on the hill,

Forty miles from the mill.

She's a young thing,

And cannot leave her mother.

Did she bid you to come in,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Did she bid you to come in,

Charming Billy.

Yes, she bade me to come in,

And to kiss her on the chin.

She's a young thing,

And cannot leave her mother.

Did she take your hat,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Did she take your hat,

Charming Billy?

Yes, she took my hat. And she threw it at the cat.

She's a young thing,

And cannot leave her mother.

Did she set for you a chair,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Did she set for you a chair,

Charming Billy?

Yes, she set for me a chair,

But the bottom wasn't there.

She's a young thing,

And cannot leave her mother.

Can she bake a cherry pie,

Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Can she bake a cherry pie,

Charming Billy

She can bake a cherry pie,

Quick's a cat can wink her eye.

She's a young thing,

And cannot leave her mother.

The next day, the good doctor awoke Billy early. His face was red, and he was sweating. He told Billy to gather the crew together, and that it was important. Billy jumped into the limo, and drove to Rick's house. Rick banged on everyone's door until they answered. Billy loaded everyone into the limo, and drove like a bat out of hell back to the plantation house. The doctor met them at the door.

"Come in, come in!" he said, still red faced.

"Doc. . .are you all right?" Rick asked, seeing his condition.

"Yes. . .yes, I'm fine. But I must talk to you all. Please, everyone sit down. I just made a pot of coffee. Billy, would you mind?"

Billy started passing out coffee cups, as Carol began to pour.

"Okay, doc. . .you've got our full attention. What's up?"

The doctor was still having trouble catching his breath. "I. . .I think I've found it. . .I think I've found it. . ."

"Found what, doc?"

"The Answer, Rick. I've been working on this serum. . .I haven't actually tried it out yet. . .but. . .dear God!"

"Slow down, doc. . .let's just slow down for a minute."

The doctor was still frantic, but slowly started to make since.

"When ya'll first arrived here, I gave you all a physical and a booster shot."

Rick was trying to get it out of him. "Yeah?"

"I also drew some blood from each of you. Well. . .I. . .I. . ."

Maggie said, "Doc, why don't you sit down."

"Yes. . .yes, I will." Carol poured him a cup of coffee. He sipped a little, then continued.

"I've been working on this serum since the plague first hit. I just couldn't understand how this disease could move so fast, and be so devastating. . .and so contagious. Yet, your group managed to live through the initial outbreak. I

studied the blood that I took from each of you, and found that there was nothing out of the ordinary about your blood. That is, until I got to the specimen I took from the baby. Now, you said she was born after the plague hit, is that right?"

Rick spoke up. "Yeah, doc. . .that's right. She was born after. . ."

"Well, there is something a little bit different about her blood. Like I said, I've been working on this serum. . .well, to make a long story short, I mixed the serum with Little Judith's blood, and it stopped the process! Do you understand

what I am saying? I came up with this. . ." He held a vial of clear liquid out. "This will stop the process. . .well, it should stop the process. . .I haven't tested it yet. . .but. . .if I should inject you with this, it will stop the process. When

you die, you will not turn. . ."

"Wait a minute, doc. . .are you saying that you've found a cure?"

"Well. . .well, it's not a cure. Once you've turned, your shit out of luck. But, I sincerely believe that this serum will stop you from turning."

"What if you get bit? Will you still turn?" asked Glen.

"Well. . .I don't know. . .I haven't gotten that far yet. But, I am certain that this serum will keep you from turning when you expire."

"Jeez, doc! That's a big step in the right direction, anyway."

"With this, it shouldn't be long before we reach the next step, which is to keep you from turning if you get bit."

"Doc. . .that sounds like a cure to me."

"That's what I've been trying to say. . .I am one step away from finally finding a cure to this epidemic."

"Okay," said Carol. "But how will you test it?"

Daryl said, "Sounds to me like you need a guinea pig."

The doctor got flustered. "Oh, no. . .no! I'd never. . .well. . .this all looks good underneith the microscope. But human trials could take. . ."

"Screw all that!" Daryl snorted. "Hell, if this could be a cure, you can try it on me!"

"No. . .no! That isn't the way this works. . ."

"Look. . .you can shoot me up. . .then, you can kill me. If I don't turn, then you'll know."

"Why, I'd never. . .that isn't the way to go. Human trials will come, someday. But, if anything happens to me, you've got to save this serum at all costs."

"Okay, doc. . .uh. . .does it need to be refrigerated or anything?"

"No, Rick. . .It should be stable as it is. I'll try this out on rats to begin with. Then, we'll see. I'll keep working on the next step. But, not tonight. Tonight we should celebrate! Billy, do you mind?"

Billy stood up. "Uh. . .sure, Dad, I don't mind. Dinner and drinks!"

"Good. . .good! We'll eat and drink, and celebrate life! Truly, it looks like we're all gonna live through this!"

Rick held up his coffee cup and said, "I'll drink to that!" Everyone else held up their coffee cups and toasted to the victory.

Billy walked over to Beth. He said, "Hey, Beth. . .Wanna trap some rats with me?"

She batted her eyes and said, "Boy! You really know how to show a girl a good time!"

It turned out to be one hell of an evening. Billy made a huge pot roast, with potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Everyone had wine with dinner. . .even Carl, but he didn't really like it. The doctor got a little lit, and started to toasting

to everything under the sun, and shouting, 'Haz-zah!'. . .whatever that means. As usual, Rick and the doc retired to the parlor, to enjoy a fine cigar and a good, hearty snifter of brandy. The good doctor could barely walk, so Rick helped him

into a large leather chair.

"My, my!" he said, "That Billy can sure make a spread. That was delicious!"

"He's a good boy," said Rick, lighting his cigar. "I think he's a little sweet on Beth. . ."

"Really? Humph. . .that surprises me." the old man barked.

"Why? Seems pretty harmless to me. . ."

"Harmless? Yes, that's what I thought, too. . .that's why I brought him into the world. . ." the old man stammered.

"Speaking of which," said Rick. "You've never spoken of the boy's mother. . ."

"That's because he doesn't have one." slurred the doc.

Rick was dumbfounded. "Doesn't have one?"

"That's right. . .the medical community said it wasn't prudent, but I didn't care. Damn the torpedo's. . .Haz-zah!" he screamed, and slammed down the brandy in his glass. He staggered across the floor for a refill. "They didn't see. . .didn't care about the advancement of science. . .Well, damn them anyway. I wanted a son. . .a son, to carry on the family name. It was what I wanted, so that is what I did. I took a little strand of DNA, and I twicked it. . .changed a chromosome here and there. . .made a boy that was superior in every way. Then, I grew that DNA inside a test tube. Before I knew it, there were too many cells to just. . .destroy it. So. . .there he is. . .superior to every other human being on the planet. . .physically and mentally. . .but having the social skills of a washcloth. You know where you can really tell it? It's in his eyes!" he slurred. "Those emerald green eyes. Have you ever seen eyes like that? Gives me the willies. But, all and all, he's a good boy. Smart as a whip. . .retains one hundred percent of what he reads. His IQ is actually higher than mine."

The doctor flopped back down in his chair. He began smoking a cigar that wasn't lit.

"You mean to tell me. . ." Rick muttered.

"Haz-zah!" the doctor toasted. "I've never spoken of it to anyone. . .and I never will mention it again. But, yes, Rick. . .my son is a test tube baby. That's why he doesn't have a mother. . .and that's why he has no last name."

Rick was blitzed, too. "He's still a good boy." Rick slurred.

"Yep!" the doctor said, raising his glass. "To my good. . .good boy!" He sat back into the leather chair and passed out. Rick stood up, and stumbled into the kitchen. He almost fell over, but Billy caught him. He looked into Billy's emerald green eyes and slurred, "Take me home, Billy. You're a good boy."

Rick had passed out by the time Billy got him to his residence. Billy threw him over his shoulder, and placed him on his bed. Rick muttered something, but it was unintangable.

They didn't see the good doctor for the next couple of days. Carl was getting a little jealous, because Billy was spending most of his free time with Beth. Still, he had his comics, and the candy. . .and, of course, the swimming pool! He looked at the 'Ek' around his neck. He sort of missed carrying his sidearm. He felt more like a. . .kid. . .without it. He wondered what Glen and Maggie were up to, but the thought of that was so disgusting. . .

As he looked up, he saw Michonne racing toward him. "Carl. . .Carl! Quick! They're coming! They're coming!" His jaw dropped. She grabbed him by the collar as she ran past. "Get out of the street! Com'on, now!" The two ducked

behind a car parked in the street. His heart was beating a million miles a minute.

"Wha. . ." he got out before Michonne interrupted him.

"Shh. . .shh. . .shh. . .listen!"

Carl pressed his ears forward.

"What is that?" Michonne whispered.

Carl listened even more intently, when the smell of the 'Ek' hit his nose. He suddenly got it.

"Ewww!" he said, as he stood up straight.

Michonne laughed. ". . .not as funny, now, when it happens to you. . ."

"Oooo. . .I'm gonna get you for that. . ."

Michonne laughed even louder. "Glen and Maggie gave me five bucks to get you, and get you I did!" She closed the 'Ek'.

Carl looked at her, squinting in the sunlight. "Y'know, money means nothing anymore. . ."

She looked the boy dead in the eye. "I would've done it for nothing. That look on your face. . ."

"You wanna get some chocolate?"

"Sure. . .I could use some new magazines, too."

They crossed the street, and walked into the newsstand. Carl took a sucker from it's spot, unwrapped it, and set it in his cheek. "These are really good." he said.

"Say. . .what're ya gonna do about school, now that we're all safe 'n all?"

"School? Really?" He looked down to the ground and shuffled his feet. "Uh. . .I dunno. Haven't thought much about it."

"Y'know, school isn't a four-letter word. It's good that you learn new things. Take this for example. . ." She unsheathed her sword, ". . .this is a fine, precision instrument." She took a few swings into the air. "It's cuts are deliberate and lethal." She moved in slow motion, swinging the blade and stopping. . .then, another cut, and stop. "It's like. . .a dance. Every move is deliberate. . .practiced over and over. It's called 'muscle memory'. Once you've

practiced the craft, your muscles will remember the moves you make." She put her sword away, and brought a cardboard box from behind the counter. "Here. . .Billy made these for us."

Carl opened the box. Inside, there were two wooden samurai swords. He held one up. "What the. . ."

Michonne smiled. "they're the same weight as mine. Billy said that if you get prolific with this, he'll make you a real one. Com'on. . .let's go out in the street." He followed her outside, the sucker stick protruding from his mouth. "Okay,

first thing is defense. . .we're gonna learn how to block."

Billy gathered the crew together one evening, with a big surprise for everyone. He had activated three cell phone towers within the little town, to allow the group to talk to each other. He enjoyed assigning telephone numbers for everyone. Rick's phone number was two (Billy didn't assign the number one in case they were ever able to call outside their service area). Daryl was three, Michonne, four. . .Maggie was five, Glen, six. . .Carol was seven, Beth was eight, and Carl got number nine. Billy was number twelve, and his dad was lucky 13. That was the new telephone book for the area. Billy had a huge grin on his face, and seemed extremely proud of himself. . .especially when he announced that, if you called 911, everyone's phone would ring. . .a conference call that everyone would be party, too. Rick tried to explain what a 'party line' was during his father's days, but Carl didn't get it.

Maggie asked if the ladies could do a little 'girly shopping' in town. She tried to explain to Billy why, sometimes, girls needed special items that guys didn't really need to know about. Of course, Billy had no idea what she meant, but told them that all the stores would be open all day, and they could take whatever they wanted. He needed to do some things for his father, anyway, and told Beth to call him when they were all done.

The girls got an early start the next morning, and, as Billy had promised, all the doors were unlocked. Carol asked why Maggie felt the need for a 'girls day out', she tried to explain that she needed some womanly advice, and she wanted to get some 'extra sexy lingerie' for Glen. She told the girls that Glen seemed to be a little distant lately. She thought that, maybe if she got some sexy sleepwear, he might snap out of it.

Beth said that, even though Billy had done a very good job gathering new clothing, he really didn't know what girls wanted when it came to their underwear. The things he picked out were logically functional. . .they just weren't really. . .sexy. Everyone agreed that this time was, indeed warranted, and deemed that day 'The Great Underwear Excursion'.

It turned out to be a great day, with the girls laughing at the frilly/silky things they picked out. Beth seemed a little lost. She really, really liked Billy, and he was nothing but good to her. . .and for her. She thought about him all the time. . .trying to think of something she could do for him. After all, he seemed to spend most of his time doing things for her, and she wanted to do something special for him. Maggie took her over to look at nice, baby doll nighties, but she didn't think that would be appropriate for this stage in their relationship. Not that she ruled it out later on. . .after they got to know each other a little better. Eventually, after much prodding, Beth confessed to everyone that Billy was a virgin. . .another title. . .Billy the Virgin. And she knew that she would have to treat him with kid gloves, so as not to freak him out. His first time should be something beautiful. . .and wonderful. . .and, above all, it had to be the most special night of his life. Everyone agreed, and promised to help Beth any way they could. Then they dragged her over to the department, and dressed her in the sleaziest stuff they could find. Maggie ended up taking most of it, but Beth had a good time trying stuff on, then laughing about it. She ended up getting some flannel 'jammies, with feet'. She did get a nice, soft nightie that was really cute, even a little bit sexy. It was very sheer. She was a little afraid that it might scare him off, but. . .

All the girls decided to get a short, black cocktail dress each. . .with tall, black boots. Carol said she thought they looked like a rock band, and everyone agreed to wear these the next time Billy was cooking one of his special dinners. They looked hot. . .something they really hadn't felt since this all began. As a matter of fact, they all admitted to actually feeling safe. . .and agreed that they wouldn't mind living here for the rest of their days. Once again, life was good. . .and clean. . .but, mostly. . .life was safe and sound.

It had rained that night, and the water was still draining off the next day. Carl dropped a stick into the rushing water, and followed it down the block until it sailed down the drainage grate. He slapped his foot down into a puddle, splashing the water onto his jeans. He sighed as he looked at the newsstand. Even comic books and candy didn't sound good. He reached down, and picked up a good-sized rock, and looked at the all the windows up and down Main Street. He tossed it up and down a few times in his hand, then looked again at the windows.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Hello?" he said, realizing this was the first phone call he had received since this thing started. He recognized the voice on the other end.

"What're you plannin' to do with that rock?"

"Daryl!" he said, looking around. "Where are you?"

"I'm right behind you." he grunted. Carl spun around, and there he was. . .the man and his crossbow.

"What's up?" he said, pushing the button to end his call.

He walked past him and said, "Come with me."

They had gone about a block with Carl asked, "Uh. . .where're we goin'?"

"To the park," Daryl answered. ". . .target practice."

"Oh." Carl said flatly. "Uh. . .I don't have my gun."

"You're not gonna need it." Daryl retorted. They kept walking. Once they reached the park, he saw that Daryl had placed about a dozen mannequin's throughout the area. He had painted them to make them look more like walkers. . .dressed in some of their old clothes that they didn't need anymore. Daryl looked at Carl, and said, "Watch me. This is the way you load the crossbow. He pulled the bowstring back, and loaded an arrow into the slot. "Here!" he said. "Now, you try it." He handed his crossbow over to Carl.

"Really?" he said. "Okay!" He tried to pull the bowstring back, but it was much more taunt than he had thought. His second effort paid off, and he loaded an arrow into the slot, then looked at Daryl.

"Well, what'cha waiting for? Go kill some walkers!"

Carl nodded, then shot the first mannequin in the chest. He looked back at Daryl, who shook his head 'no'. Carl said, "Oh, yeah!" He loaded another arrow, and popped the mannequin in the head.

"That's better!" Daryl grunted. "Well. . .go get 'um."

Carl did really well for his first time. The most important part was that he didn't lose any arrows. Daryl explained that, although he was sure that Billy could make more, it was never a good idea to waste any arrows. You never know when you might just need that 'one more' to get you out of a jam. Carl asked if he was good enough to go beyond the fence, and try it out on real walkers, but Daryl told him that he may need a little more practice before they tried something like that.

Carl responded with a, "but we have the 'Ek'. . .we could go in invisible. They'd never see it coming."

Daryl said, "Huh-uh. . .you ain't opening that stinky shit around me. . .not unless we really need it."

Carl nodded that he understood.

"Besides. . ." he said, as the turned away from the boy, "It's more fun this way!" He faced his butt toward Carl, and then ripped a fart at him."

"Damnit, Daryl!" Carl started to laugh, but then the smell hit him. "Oh, my. . .Oh, my God, Daryl. . .Oh, damn! That's stinky."

"That's right!" Daryl laughed. "When you don't have a gun, blow 'em a fart, then turn around and run! That's what Meryl use t' say."

Carl blinked his eyes.

"Only Meryl's farts were a lot stinkier. . ."

"I'll bet!" Carl agreed.

It was really hot and humid outside, but that didn't stop Rick. He was building a chicken coup for Billy's chickens at the Plantation. They had hatched a few days before, and you could hear the chicks peeping all the way from the front

door of the house. Rick knew that it wouldn't be long before they'd have fresh eggs again. . .that is, as long as there was a rooster among the hatchlings. Plus, any southern man will tell you, it's really hard to beat fried chicken. Of course, that may still be a generation or two away. . .and they still had chickens at the grocery store. It's just that fresh chickens always taste the best. Fresh eggs are always the most flavorful. It's just a law of the south.

Rick had come to the plantation on his own, driving his brand new undercover cop car. He really liked it here. . .he loved the big, old house. Billy had spent a lot of time on it; keeping the paint neat and the repairs up to date. He loved just sitting on one of the old rocking chairs on the porch. This place was just so damned serene. He loved talking to Doc. The two seemed to be of a single mind at times.

Rick put his hammer down and wiped his brow. It seemed like a good time to take a break. He thought he could use a bottle of cold water, so he walked into the house. It seemed extremely quiet, but that was because the rest of the crew were off doing other things. Even the doc was busy in his lab. Rick took a bottle from the refrigerator and touched the cold plastic against his forehead. He placed it at the back of his neck as he walked back to the porch, then slowly set down on the rocker. He opened the bottle and took a huge drink. After taking a second drink, he put the lid back on the bottle, and began to rock. "Gosh, it sure is beautiful and peaceful here." he thought. ". . .the kind of place where we could live and live safely. It's been really nice, not having to bother with walkers. It's nice having a nice house, driving a new car. . .wearing new clothes. It's nice to be able to take a shower everyday. It's really nice having all these fine people helping with Carl and Judith (especially Judith). This would be a great place to settle down. "Yes, this could be the best place in the world for us to live." Rick rocked a little, and drank his water.

Everyone was making a mad scramble down Main Street. It was Billy's birthday, and everyone wanted to do something special for him, since he had done so much for them all. But, it was hard. What do you give someone who has everything? There was only one thing to do. . .Gag Gifts! Carl was the first. . .Mega Rolls of extra soft toilet paper. Carol got him a few shades of pantyhose (The one's with the 'all day massage'). Glen got him a big, floppy hat, and Maggie got him a really cool set of sunglasses. Daryl found him a jar of pickled pigs feet. Michonne got him a drum set, and set it up in the basement of the Plantation House. Rick really put a lot into it. He got Billy an entire outfit,

consisting of short pants, a yellow shirt, a bow-tie, a set of rainbow colored suspenders, and what looked like a set of leprechaun shoes. . .they had a huge buckle on the top. He also found a set of really long socks which came up

beyond Billy's knees. Emily saved hers for last. She had gotten him a coconut.

Billy asked her, "Beth, why a coconut?"

"I dunno. For some reason, it just seemed. . .right. . .somehow."

Billy informed her that coconut was his favorite of all time food.

She looked at him and leaned her head toward her shoulder. "Aw. . .you're just sayin' that. . ."

"Really. . .just ask dad. I have always loved coconuts. I like to put a little hole in the shell, and drink the milk directly from it. Then, I split it open, and eat the fruit. Dad would always get me a coconut cake for my birthday. Honest In-jun. . .Really!"

"In that case, I'm gonna make sure you get a birthday coconut every year."

Rick heard something coming from the house. . .it was a dry, sort of thud. He crept back into the living room and saw the doctor in the floor. Rick sat on the floor and rolled the good doctor over. His face was red and he felt cold and clammy.

"Doc? Doc, say something. . ."

He slowly opened his eyes. "Rick?"

"What's wrong, Doc?"

He whispered, "Is Billy here?"

"Uh. . .No. . .no, he isn't here right now."

"Good. . .can you set me up?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Doc."

He laughed and coughed, "Who's the doctor here, anyway?"

Rick set him up. "What's up, Doc?"

"Rick, I. . .I think my heart may be giving out."

"Maybe, we could try to find. . ."

"What? A hospital? There are no more hospitals."

"Maybe. . .not with a staff. . .but all the equipment should still be there."

"It's no use, Rick. . .It's no use. It's just no use. Now, listed to me. . .Promise me, you'll not say anything to Billy. . .Promise me now. . .

"Okay, Doc. . .But you shouldn't be out here all by yourself."

He coughed a little, but his color was starting to come back. "Would you mind, stayin' for awhile? I've got some things I need to do. I would certainly be grateful."

"That would be no problem. What can I do?"

He looked Rick in the eye, and without flinching, he said, "Let's get the serum."

Rick sighed, then shook his head.

Billy and Beth sat in her driveway.

"That was one heck of a party, Beth. Thank you. I haven't had a birthday party since. . .well, it's been a long time."

"You deserve it, Billy. You've done so much for us all. . .invited us to stay in your little 'world within a world'. . .shared all you have with us.

Billy blushed. "I'm. . .I'm just really glad to have someone to talk to."

Beth smiled. "Billy, would you mind coming in for a minute?"

"Uh. . .sure. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no. I just need a little help with something."

"Sure, Beth. . .anything."

He jumped out of the car, and opened the door for her.

"Thank you, Billy." she said, smiling. She loved it that he was so courteous toward her. They held hands as they walked to the front door and went inside. Once there, Billy asked, "So. . .what do you want me to do?"

From the darkened hallway, she said, "It'll just be a minute. Why don't you sit down, I'll only be a minute."

"Uh. . .okay, Beth." He had a seat on the sofa, and looked around.

"Why don't you put on some music?" she called from the darkness.

"Right. What do you want to hear?"

"Anything's fine, Billy."

He saw a stereo with a CD player, all of which he powered up with a push of a few buttons. He looked through the small collection of CD's, and realized that he didn't have a clue as to what she would want to hear. He didn't really recognize any of the artists, and finally pick one at random, and put it on. It was smooth jazz. . .Billy listened to it for a moment, then shook his head. . .yes, this indeed seemed to be a good choice.

"Billy?"

"Yeah, Beth?"

"Could you come back here for a minute?"

"Uh. . .yeah, sure."

He walked into her bedroom. She was standing there in a long bathrobe, with her back to the door.

"Oh, Billy. . ." she said, "You are the only good thing I've found since this whole thing started." She turned around, and walked over to him. "You've kept us all safe, and given us a home." She put her arms around him, and kissed his

cheek. Again, he blushed. She looked into his eyes, and kissed him on the mouth. The next kiss was a deep, hard one. She took a few steps back. "Billy, I want you to look at me." Billy was looking at the ground. "Billy?" she said softly. He raised his eyes to meet hers, then, she opened her bathrobe, and let it fall to the floor. She was wearing the flannel pajamas with feet. "Would you like to have a slumber party, tonight?"

Billy smiled. "Uh. . .let me call my Dad." He took out his cell phone and pushed the buttons. After a moment, he said into the phone, "Hey, Dad? Are you okay? I might be a little busy, tonight. . .yeah, dad. . .being my birthday and all. . .Yeah. . .yeah, Dad. . .we're just having fun. Are you sure your gonna be alright? Oh. . .oh, Rick's there. Great. . .yeah, that's great dad. . .okay, dad, thanks. If you need me, just call. Yeah. . .okay, dad. . .you guys have fun, too. Bye." He pushed a button, then put his phone away. "Well, it seems like Dad and Rick are gonna be getting drunk, so I'm free for the evening."

"Good." She said, as she unbuttoned the flannel to reveal the 'baby doll' nightie, underneith.

Billy's eyes grew wide.

It was early the next morning when Billy's phone rang, waking him up. He wiped the sleep from his eyes, then answered it. "Wha. . .Rick, what's going on?" Then, he realized he had actually slept. . .for the first time in his life, he slept!

"You best get home, Billy." he said, solemnly.

"What's. . ."

"Just get home, Billy."

"Okay, Rick. . .I'm on my way."

Beth rolled over. "What'd Rick want."

"I dunno." said Billy. "He wouldn't say. . .just told me to get home."

Billy got dressed quickly, and was out the door. His mind was going a mile of minute, wandering what Rick could have needed so early in the morning. He was at the plantation before he knew it.

"Rick!" he called out.

Rick came out of the kitchen. "I just made coffee. . .want a cup?"

"What's going on, Rick?"

"Come on in here, Billy. . .have a seat." He took a cup from the cupboard, and poured it. Rick sighed as he handed the coffee to him.

"What did you need, Rick?"

"Billy. . .Billy, last night. . .last night, your daddy passed on."

"Passed on?"

"Yeah, Billy. His heart just gave out. . .seems he's had problems with it for some time. . .He just didn't say anything, 'cause he didn't want to worry you. I'm so sorry, son."

"Where is he?"

"He's up in his bedroom."

Billy ran up the stairs, as Rick took his coffee out to the porch. He slowly sat down in a rocker. He could hear Billy moving around every now and then. He could hear him crying. Eventually, Billy came back downstairs. Rick walked back inside after a few minutes, and saw the big man, softly crying.

"My daddy's dead, Rick."

"I know, son. . .I'm so sorry."

Billy sat down at the table. "What am I gonna do, Rick? What am I gonna do?"

"I know this is hard, son. Unfortunately, death is a part of life. Death will claim us all in the end. And, it's never easy. . .but, eventually, you'll understand. He. . .uh. . .he had some things he wanted to tell you. He wanted me to tell you that you were a good boy. . .always. He said he loved you, and that he was sorry that he didn't tell you that enough. He also said that he wanted you to call yourself 'Bailey', and he was sorry he couldn't tell you that himself."

"Humph." Billy said, hanging his head.

"As his only heir, he wanted you to have everything. I am a witness to his sayin' that."

"I. . .I wish he had given me his name before. . ."

"Yeah. . .me, too. Billy, do you need a little time before I tell everyone 'bout your dad?"

"No. . .no, Rick. . .if you don't mind, can you tell everyone?"

"Sure, Billy. I'll take care of it. When do you want to hold the funeral?"

"Well, daddy use to say 'there no time like the present'. Let's do it today."

"Okay, Billy. It'll take a little bit to dig the hole. Where do you want him?"

"Let's put him right here. . .somewhere close to the house. He loved this plantation so much. . ."

The two walked out to the porch, and looked around. "What about over there," Billy said, pointing.

"I think he'd like that, Billy. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Rick. I'm gonna go back in for awhile."

"Sure, Billy. I'm so. . .so sorry." The big guy walked back up the stairs, as Rick made his first 911 call, telling everyone at once what had happened. He asked Daryl and Glen to join him at the plantation, to help with digging the grave. He told everyone that the funeral would be held at dusk.

Glen and Daryl passed a funeral home near the end of town. They poked around on the inside for awhile, and, finding no walkers, they took a coffin and a hearse.

The funeral for the good doctor was short and sweet. Everyone worried about Billy, who didn't seem to be holding up too well, even though Beth tried to comfort him. They decided not to bury him right away, in order to see if the doc

was going to turn. It was an amazing thing, to watch this body not get up. The serum worked!

The doctor had instructed Rick as to how much of the serum to give to everyone. Glen asked if he was sure that it wasn't the serum that killed the doc. Rick felt that, since the good doctor had realized problems with his heart before

the injection, the odds were unlikely that the serum had taken his life. Still, there was a chance. . .so Rick injected himself with the serum.

Poor Billy was a stick-tight to Beth for the next couple of days. It was starting to bother her, as she had told Maggie that she didn't want to be his 'mother'. Still, he was a blubbering mess.

Rick called the meeting to order. "Okay, listen up! Doc Bailey gave me this vile before he died. He seemed certain that this here 'red serum' would keep a person from turnin' even though they were bit. But, he didn't have time to test it, 'fore he passed on. Now, we're all sure that the 'white serum' worked. The good doctor proved that for us. . ." He cleared his throat. "Three days ago, I injected myself with this 'red serum'. I haven't had any complications with it. . .but I'll leave it all up to you. If you want to try this 'red serum', I'll inject you right now. If you don't want to take it, it's up to you."

Everyone talked among themselves for a minute, then Carol stood up. "I think I can speak for everyone. If there is even a chance that this stuff works, we're all in."

"I think this is the right move." said Rick. He took a hand towel from the top of a tray he had setting there, and exposed ten pre-filled syringes. "Ya'll line up!" he said as he poured some alcohol onto a cotton ball. He called Carl up to the front.

"Do I have to go first?" he said, puckering his face. "I hate shots."

Rick said, "It'll be worth it. A couple of seconds of pain, and a lifetime of not havin' to worry 'bout gettin' bit. I think it's worth it."

"Yeah, okay." Carl said, as he pulled his sleeve up with his hand. Rick wiped his arm with the cotton ball, and gave Carl the injection. He repeated this with everyone.

That night, after dinner, Daryl pulled Rick aside.

"Rick, we've gotta do somethin' 'bout Billy. I ain't seen such mournin' since we lost Sophia."

"I know it. . .I know it. I understand that his dad was his whole world, but we gotta do sumthin'." Then, Rick got that look on his face.

Daryl said matter-of-factly, "You got an idea."

Rick hit Daryl with his evil eye. "Y'know, sometimes people can confuse sadness and rage. I got a feelin' that it could be that he's ragin'. . .ragin' like a wet cat."

Daryl agreed. "Yeah, that makes sense."

Well, why don't we, uh. . .why don't we have ourselves a little walker hunt? We could go out beyond the fence, and just put down every walker we can find. We could clean out this whole county. . ."

"It would definitely give him sumthin' t' do. . .keep his mind off his grief fer a bit."

"Yeah, it sure can't hurt to try."

"All right," Daryl said, raising his crossbow. "Let's do it."

Early the next day, Rick called for a general meeting of the crew.

"The other day, while I was out beyond the fence, I noticed that the number of walkers had greatly increased. Now, I don't know why. . .maybe they jus' got confused, tryin' to find where the tone is. . .maybe there was jus' some large herds comin' together. Anyway, I think I'm gonna take all the men with me today, and we're gonna clean up around the outer fences. Michonne, I wunder if you wouldn't mind stayin' here with the girls, jus' in case sumthin' dangerous should come up."

"The only thing dangerous we've seen in the last couple of months is Billy in drag. But. . .all right. I can hang back, this time."

"Good. . .let's make a quick trip to the warehouse for ammo."

Beth spoke up. "Uh, we could use some supplies and stuff, too. Y'know, diapers an' baby wipes. . ."

"Okay, let's go."

Everyone went to the warehouse. Beth made Billy wear the baby carrier. Billy really enjoyed playing with Judith. . .it was like the two of them related to each other in a really basic way, and it was the first time she had seen him smile since he lost his dad.

Once they arrived, the men loaded their backpacks with ammo, as the girls gathered groceries.

"Alright, ladies," Rick stated. "We're takin' off now. . .should be back right after dark."

Maggie gave Glen a little kiss, and said, "Kill a few of those bastards for me."

Beth said to Billy, "Yeah. . .Judith says to deck a few for her, too."

Billy barely even noticed her. "Uh, okay. . ." he said, as he stared off into the distance. She shot a concerned look over to Rick.

He got the message. "Uh, well now, ladies. . .ya'll keep the home fires burnin'."

With that, the men took off. Maggie whispered to Beth, "I sure hope this works."

"Me, too." Beth agreed. "I don't know how much of this brooding Billy I can take."

"Did you try. . .uh. . ." She made the universal sign with her fingers; index finger and thumb forms a circle. . .the other index ridged. . .put the stiff one into the hole. . .

Beth understood, as only a sister could. "Yeah. . .the night before his dad passed."

"Oh!" she said. "The timing might have been better. . ."

"Yeah. . .seemed like a good idea at the time."

Carol and Michonne walked over. "What's ya'll whisperin' about?"

Maggie said, "It seems that the big lug is no longer Billy the Virgin."

"Yeah." Beth added. "Now he's Billy the Brood."

"You remember how you felt when momma 'n dad passed. Just give him a little time."

Michonne agreed. "He'll be better after he puts a few walkers down. It always works for me."

"Funny how that works." said Maggie. ". . .a new way to deal with P. M. S."

The boys walked quietly until they got to the outer fences.

"Okay, men." Rick said, "here we go!"

Everyone opened their 'Ek'. Glen made a severe face. "Damn!" he said with a frown. "It just don't matter. . .I'll never get used to that smell."

"It just lasts a little while. . .then you realize that you can hardly smell it at all. You know, like one of Meryl's farts." Carl grinned, and looked over to Daryl.

Rick said, "What's ya been teachin' my boy?"

"Oh. . .'tain't nuthin'," Daryl said, as he attempted to kick Carl in the butt. But the kid was too quick, and he missed.

"So, where d'ya wanna start?" Rick asked Billy.

Billy scanned the fence line. "How 'bout over here." Billy said, as he stomped off to the right. Sure enough, they found their first walkers just a few feet from where they exited the outer fence. Billy used his dual-sided pole, and took out the entire group before the other boys could catch up.

"Damn, Billy," Daryl yelled. "Save some fer us!"

Billy didn't say a word. He just stomped off toward the next group. Rick and Daryl used their knifes. Glen and Carl had fashioned spears. Not that it mattered, because Billy was swinging like there was no tomorrow. At one point, he got so far ahead, they lost him. He was easy enough to find, though. They just followed the trail of bodies.

"Damn!" Daryl said. "It's gonna take us a month, just to pick up all this mess."

"Jes' let him rage on." Rick said, as he spat on the ground. "Probably the best thing for him."

Rick had been right. There was a greater concentration of walkers than usual. Not that it was a problem, because of the edge the 'Ek' had given them. . .but before long, the bodies really started to pile up. At places, they were three to four deep, covering the entire ground. They saw Billy on top of a little hill, still swinging his pole over his head. That was when the group noticed that the walkers was actually charging him.

Rick almost lost it. "He's turn off his 'Ek'! Damned fool's tryin' to commit suicide!"

The boys rushed up the hill, as Billy swung his pole over his head like a helicopter. Daryl said to Rick, "You hit him low, and I'll hit him high." They left their feet as they crashed into the big man. Billy was like a fire hydrant. . .and he didn't go down, despite the boy's best effort. Glen and Carl jumped in, too. They still couldn't bring him down.

Billy screamed as he drug the boys along with him. . .finally losing his footing, causing all the boys to roll down the hill.

"Damn, Billy!" Daryl said, "Y'know we're all on the same side, right?"

Glen looked around at all the bodies. "It's starting to look like Gettysburg around here."

"Yeah," said Daryl. "If walker's bled, we'd be swimmin' right now."

Billy was still breathing hard. "Sorry, guys, I think I've just lost it. . ."

"Why the hell did you turn off your 'Ek'?" Rick asked, concerned.

Billy shook his head. "Thought I'd give 'um a sporting chance."

"A sportin' chance?" Rick said, as he looked at the carnage.

"Yeah. . .I guess it was a little stupid."

"A little stupid?" said Rick in dis-belief. "Do you have any idea what Beth would-a done to me if anything happened to you?"

Billy shook his head again. "Uh. . .sorry Rick. . .boys. I just kind-a lost it."

Glen said, "I haven't seen this many walkers in one place since Hershal's farm."

"Damn good thing we came out." Daryl grunted. "This many walkers would-a overloaded the fences."

Carl said, "Uh. . .fella's. . .we're not done yet!"

Another group of walkers had started over the top of the hill. Rick grabbed Billy by his mohawk.

"Listen. . .leave the 'Ek' on!" He screamed into Billy's face.

"Yes, sir!" he said, blinking his eyes.

The group got up, and started again. It was nearly dark when they finally started to thin out. The guys were filthy, covered in walker slime. Billy was the worst. He was covered in blackness from head to foot. They looked around at the carnage.

"Look at this!" Rick said, still trying to catch his breath. "If the south fences look like this, what d'ya suppose the north fences are like?"

"Guess we'll have to go out again tomorrow." said Daryl.

"Damn right!" Glen agreed.

The next day, Billy seemed to be better. He even got into a small argument with Beth about who could cook the best fried chicken. She let him know in no uncertain terms that frying chicken was something passed down in southern families from mother to daughter, and was, indeed, a source of southern pride. The term Billy used was "Pish-shaw!" He claimed to have studied all of the recipes from the world's greatest chefs to pick the one that was unquestionably the very best. Rick decided that there was only one thing to do. . .have the great Chicken Cook-off, to determine who's chicken was the best. Billy was still giggling about it as they reached the northern fences.

Rick looked at Billy. "Okay, this time. . .leave the 'Ek' on."

"Yes, sir." Billy said, as he blushed a little.

"I'm really lookin' forward to some good eatin' tomorrow, so lets clear this up, and take tomorrow off!"

"Sounds good to me!" Glen said.

"Me, too!" echoed Carl. "I can eat me some chicken, now!"

Billy smiled. "Da bitch is goin' down!" he yelled. With that, the boys set out on part two of the walker hunt. Although the killing was a little more evenly dispersed than the day before, there seemed to be even more walkers. Again, the bodies piled up. Everyone agreed that the fences wouldn't have lasted even another day. But, by dusk, there wasn't a walker to be seen anywhere, and the boys set out for home, telling tales of the best chicken they had ever tasted.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Billy had set everything up while everyone else slept. He had moved some stainless steel tables to the park, as well as the oven from the restaurant. He had set up his little D. J. booth again, and when he saw the first arrivals to the park, he started blasting music from 'the Doors'.

"Five to one, baby. . .one in five. . .no one here gets. . .out alive. . .You get yours, baby. . .I'll get mine. . .Gonna make it, baby, If we try. . ."

You could tell that the boys had felt the miracle of hot water, as there wasn't even the smallest piece of 'walker goo' on anyone. The girls started making side dishes of mashed potatoes, green beans, corn. . .Carol had stayed up late the night before, and had baked a half-dozen pies. Michonne even showed off her kitchen skills by deep frying okra, green tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash. Maggie had picked fresh greens from the farm at the plantation, and had made a huge salad for everyone. There was fresh watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew, too. Rick had even found an old-fashioned ice cream maker and the boys took turns cranking the handle.

Then Rick announced that it was time for the Great Chicken Cook-off to begin, and Carol assumed the role of watching Judith as Beth and Billy started cooking. It was quite funny, watching the two bump into each other. Billy turned off her burner when she wasn't looking, and she turned his burner all the way up, causing his chicken to burn.

They couldn't have picked a more beautiful day for a such a feast, and the smell of the chicken frying danced around the heads of everyone there. It seemed forever before the chicken was finally cooked. Everyone took a piece from each contestant, and tasted it. There were tiny ballots, which everyone could mark their choice for their favorite chicken. Once the ballots were collected, the feast officially began. Everyone ate until their bellies hurt. As they all were enjoying their pie with homemade old-fashion ice cream, Rick read off the ballots. It was four to four as Rick opened the last one. He looked up and announced that someone had neglected to mark their ballot. After much speculating, Billy admitted that he had placed his ballot in without marking it. He placed two pieces of chicken in front of him. He tasted the first one. . .rolled his eyes and smiled. Then, he tasted the second. After chewing for a bit, he took another bite. After chewing and swallowing, he walked over to Beth, and raised her arm. He sulked over to the microphone and graciously admitted defeat.

Everyone ate until they couldn't eat anymore. . .then, they waited for awhile and enjoyed this beautiful day, then ate even more. Carol's pies were a big hit. Maggie teased Billy, saying everyone was going to need a new wardrobe after this. Rick made a decree that each Sunday during the summer would be a day of feasting together, and enjoying each other's company.

That is when he spotted the first walker. He couldn't believe it at first. They had just spent two very long days putting them down, thinning the herds near the fences down to nothing. How could this one get through? The thought perplexed him. . .that is, until he saw what came next. Behind the one, there was a hundred. Rick reached for his sidearm, then realized he hadn't brought it. Neither had anyone else. He gathered everyone up, and had them all to activate their 'Ek's. The walkers drifted past them as if they were not even there. It was a tremendous herd. . .bigger than the one at Hershal's farm. It was like a Led Zeppelin concert had just let out. Everyone stayed together in a circle, with Beth and the baby in the center. Eventually, that wave ended as another one was right behind them.

"What the hell?" yelled Daryl.

"There wasn't a walker within a week of town!" Rick yelled back.

"Do you think we can make it to the warehouse?" screamed Glen, "We have no weapons!"

"We've got the 'Ek'. . .it hasn't let us down yet."

"We can make it to the high school. . .might be as good a place as any to wait this out." Billy shouted. "We just have to stay between these two waves."

"Good plan!" Rick screamed. He grabbed Carl by the arm. "Try to save one of those pies."

Slowly the group made it to the High School. Carl was spent, between trying not to drop the pie, and dodging walkers, who were snapping at his smell. He fell to his hands and knees once they were behind a locked door. It took everyone a few minutes to catch their breath.

Rick shook his head and pounded a bulletin board with his fist. "Never again!" he screamed. "I will never, ever leave the house without my gun again!"

"This is just. . .just. . .impossible!" said Billy. "The northern fences must have completely fallen."

"Don't it figure," said Daryl. "Just when we start to get comfortable. . ."

"I saved a pie!" said Carl.

"Yes. . .yes, you did, Carl. We're gonna call it our victory pie! We got caught with our pants down, but still made it here together."

"Haz-zah!" shouted Billy.

Rick got a perplexed look on his face. "Billy, I use to hear your daddy scream out, 'Haz-zah'. Just. . .what does it mean?"

"I dunno." said Billy. "I just heard dad use it whenever he beat something."

They all looked at each other for a moment. Then, as if with one voice, they all screamed, "Haz-zah!"

The next morning, Daryl moaned. "Oh. . .dag nab it. I forgot what it was like, not to sleep in a bed."

Rick slowly set up. "Yeah. . .it sucks."

"Guess we just got soft," said Carol. "I really need coffee. . ."

Michonne agreed, "Me, too!"

Rick said, "Yeah, guess we all need somethin'."

Beth sprung up. "Yeah, like. . .diapers!"

"Well," said Rick, "I reckon the first thing we need is information. Billy, why don't you an' me go for a little stroll an' see if we can't figure out what happened last night. The rest of you, just hang loose. We'll be back shortly."

"I can't believe I lost the chicken cook-off." Billy whined.

"Haz-zah!" yelled Beth, as they walked out the door.

The town was crawling with walkers. It was like a dream. Walkers were meandering all over town. There was massive damage to windows and paneling. Even a few of the shops on Main Street had some damage.

"It just don't make sense, Rick. Those fences should-a held. Especially after we cleaned house."

"Somethin' must-a spooked 'em. That's the only thing I could come up with. Somethin' must-a spooked 'em."

"Well, it must've been something big."

The little street where everyone lived had only minor damage. That was welcome news. Rick and Billy came back to the high school, and escorted everyone to their houses. Beth told Billy that it would be better if he stayed there with her until this walker situation had been dealt with. After lunch, Billy, Daryl and Rick went out to survey the damage to the north fences. Sure enough, most of the northern fencing was gone. The land north of that was also swarming with walkers. This wasn't going to be an easy fix.

Rick looked at Billy. "So, jus' how bad is it?"

Billy shook his head. "It's pretty damned bad. . .gonna take a while to fix it. . .maybe a week or two. At least a season to replace the kudzu."

"Well, at least, this time you won't have ta do it all by yourself."

Daryl looked to the north. "Looks like we're gonna have another walker hunt 'er two."

"Guess we're gonna need to clean up some of this mess. Damned walkers are three t' four deep. . .again."

Suddenly, there came an unfamiliar sound. It was kind of like a 'whoomp', and then the ground shook a little.

"Now, what the hell was that?" Rick said, looking around.

"Earthquake?" Billy guessed.

"Nope. . .it came from that direction." Daryl said, pointing northward.

"Probably what's been spookin' the walkers." Rick speculated.

Billy chimed in, "Can't really see anything from here."

Daryl added, "Yeah, it'll take at least a day before it gets here. Look!"

Way out on the horizon, they saw what could have been a small column of smoke.

Everyone got up early the next day, and prepared to reset the northern fences. Billy and the boys loaded up the flat-bed truck with fence posts, cement and gravel, among other things. He had brought out a tractor with a gigantic screw-looking thing on the back.

Carl pointed to it and asked, "What's that?"

Billy answered, "It's to dig the post holes. . .it's a lot easier than using those old manual ones." He winked, "a whole lot faster, too."

Maggie asked, "How'er we gonna keep the walkers from tiltin' the posts. . .y'know, 'til the cement sets?"

Billy pointed to some rolls of wire on the back of the truck. "See that? That's electric fencing. We'll string it out first, then use those generators to power it."

"What powers the generator?" Carl asked.

"D-uh!" said Billy, as he pulled the brim of Carl's hat over his nose. "It's been altered to run off 'Ek'." He looked to the sky. "Y'know, some of us are gonna have to camp out up there to keep an eye on everything."

"Oh, we all decided it just might be fun to have a camp-out." Maggie giggled. "We even brought some extra stuff!" She pointed to the trailer behind her Jeep.

Carl wrinkled his nose. "What happens when a walker hits an electric fence?"

"Well," said Billy, as he was putting on a pair of thick leather gloves. "Sometimes, they just back off and go another way. Sometimes, the electricity freezes up their muscles, and they can't move. Sometimes, they catch fire."

Carl laughed. "Catch fire. . .that's funny."

Billy got a serious look on his face. "Y'know, I worry about you, kid." Carl shrugged, as climbed up into the flat-bed.

"Okay, crew. Let's saddle up! Time's a-wastin'!" Rich shouted.

"Ya'll follow me!" said Billy. "It might be sort of a slow go. . .ya'll just be patient, now!"

Billy climbed up on his tractor. Rick followed in the flat-bed. Glen and Maggie followed him, and Carol had everyone else. . .except for Daryl, who brought up the rear on his bike.

It was kind of a bumpy ride once they left the road. However, it wasn't long before they had arrived at the place where the fence had gone down. The crew pounded some thin, green posts into the ground, and set up a fairly large parimeter for the campsite. Once it was wired, Billy plugged it in, and started a generator. Then, they started to set up camp. Billy had brought a tent that could easily sleep a dozen adults. Glen and Maggie brought their own little pup tent, as did Daryl. The guys started on the electric fence, while the girls began setting up the campsite.

After they drove the first green post into the ground, Carl would measure off ten feet, and they'd pound another post into the Georgia clay. Once the posts were set, Billy tied the wires to his tractor, and pulled them taunt. Then, they would anchor the wires to the posts. It was almost dark by the time the electric fence was up, and everyone was worn out by the time they finally turned it on. Carl laughed as he watched the first couple of walkers bounce off the fence. They were dragging ass as they slumped back toward the campsite.

"Well, will you look at that!" said Glen. The tents were all set up around the campfire. There was electric lighting, an immaculate barbeque grill, and every sleeping bag had a cot underneath it. The sodas were iced and the burgers were hot and ready to go. Carol even remembered the marshmallows.

"Y'know, campin' never looked like this when I was a kid." Daryl grunted. "Usually it was jes' me an' some ratty ol' sleepin' bag."

After they had eaten, Billy excused himself and went back out to drill the postholes. Everyone else relaxed under the stars.

Billy came back just before dawn. Carol and Beth were already up, and the coffee was cooking. He went over and poured himself a cup.

Carol looked at the boy and said, "So, is it true that you never sleep?"

"Well, almost never. . ." he said, as he looked at Beth and smiled.

She blushed a little, as Billy took the baby from her.

"Does that mean you've never had a dream."

"Dream?" He shook his head. "No. . .I've never had a dream." He seemed sad for a moment, but suddenly changed his mood. "Except for Beth, that is."

"Aw, good answer!" Beth said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Listen to you. . .sucking up!" Carol teased.

Daryl sleepily stumbled toward the campfire. "Is that coffee I smell." he growled.

Carol poured him a cup, as Billy played with Judith in the grass. Everyone else arose shortly after, and they ate breakfast together. By the time the sun was up, they were all ready to go. It was a good thing, too, because it was going to be a long one.

Billy had already drilled all the post holes, and had poured gravel into their bottoms. They all took turns mixing the cement, then holding the posts level until the cement hardened enough that they could move on to the next one. Occasionally, a walker would take notice, and when he'd hit the electric fence, Carl would laugh as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever seen in his life. They worked all day, except for a short break for lunch, and continued on until just after dark, when they set their last post. By the time they got back to the campsite, they could barely move.

"Well, look at the brightside." Billy said, "If it doesn't rain tonight, the cement should be cured by about this time tomorrow night."

Glen looked at Billy and said, "How'd you do all of this all by yourself the first time?"

Billy shook his head. "I dunno. You just do what you've got to do." He pulled a bottle of cold water from the ice chest. "Plus, a section that size took me a couple of weeks."

Glen fell to the ground. "So, what're we gonna do tomorrow?"

Billy smiled out of one side of his mouth. "Well, let's just say that I've got an idea."

The next morning, the crew slept late, and woke up stiff. It was almost ten o'clock before everyone was up and around, and Billy was being tight-lipped about what he had in mind for the day. Once everyone had eaten, Billy asked if anyone was up for a little hike.

"I dunno." Glen said, "I'm still pretty sore from all that fencing. . ."

Maggie told Glen to "Shut the fuck up!"

Carol agreed, and said they were up for anything.

"That's the spirit!" Billy said, smiling. He put Judith's carrier on the front, and had a nap-sack on his back. He said, "Saddle up, little lady. . ." Once she was secured, Billy picked up his staff-thing, and told the group to follow him. A few minutes later, they were going through a fence, and walking into the woods. Everyone had drifted into a single-file line and Carl was getting a little frustrated with Billy.

"Why won't you just tell us where we're going?" he said, walking right on Billy's heels.

Billy just smiled.

"So what's the big secret, anyway. Why can't you tell me where we're going?"

Maggie and Beth started giggling.

Carl turn around, and started walking backwards. "What's so funny, you two?"

At the same time, they both started singing.

"Which way you goin' Billy?

Can I go too?

Which way you goin' Billy?

Can I go with you?"

Carl said, "Oh, very funny, girls." as he turned back around. They continued:

"I really love you, Billy,

And all this time.

I thought you loved me, Billy,

And you were mine."

"Every walker in a ten mile radius is gonna know where we are." He said, taking off his hat. Daryl and Glen started laughing. That just egged the girls on farther. . .their cadence in step with the rhythm of the song:

"I'm gonna miss you, Billy,

And though I'm trying.

I'm hurting so bad, Billy,

I can't help crying."

As if they had planned it, they started singing as loudly as they could, and every one else joined in on the chorus.

"You are my whole, babe,

My heart and my soul, babe.

I'd have nothing to show, babe,

If you should go away."

Suddenly, they topped a small hill, and there before them was a beautiful lake. That shut everyone up.

"Oh, my!" Michonne said, as she stared at the reflection of the trees in the water. "Billy, this is lovely!"

"And perfect for skinny-dippin'!" He bounced his eyebrows up and down, as Beth slapped him on the sleeve."

"Billy!" She said, disapprovingly.

"I'm game!" laugh Glen, as he took off his shirt."

"Glen!" said Maggie. "Not now. . ." and she smiled.

Billy sighed. "This is my favorite place. . .I use to come here every now and then when I was about Carl's age. We've got a small cabin, just over there."

They walked a little farther by the edge of the lake, and their stood Billy's cabin. . .but it wasn't that small. It had a large porch on the front, facing the lake. It was rustic, and secluded, and wonderful. Billy took some keys from their hiding place on the porch, and opened the front door. It was obvious that no one had been there in a great while. It was dusty, and smelled like they hadn't aired it out since Travolta was a sweathog. Maggie started opening windows, as Carl was checking out the fireplace. Daryl stood in the doorway, transfixed. He grabbed Billy's arm and said, "I. . .want. . .to. . .live. . .here. . ." he let go of his grip, and slowly whispered, ". . .for-ev-er!"

Billy handed Judith over to Beth. "There's a wood stove, and lots of plates and such. . .They probably haven't been washed in a long time, though."

Michonne looked around for a moment, then said, "Any chance you've got any fishing gear around here?"

Billy walked over to the front door, pointed his finger and said, "Y'see that little building over there?"

Carl's eyes grew wide. "Is that a. . ."

Billy cut in. "Boat-house." He grinned, and handed Carl the keys.

"Really?" He said.

"Go check it out." grinned Billy, as everyone walked toward it. There was a little dock that wrapped around the boathouse. . .one side led to the door, the other extending out into the lake, with a gasoline pump at the end.

Carl unlocked the door, and found a light switch. There was something under a light blue tarp, setting on it's lift, above the water. And it was in the shape of a motorboat.

"Wow!" said Carl. "I've never been on a boat, before."

"Well, if you'd like, we'll take 'er out in a bit. Michonne, there's all kinds of fishing gear in here. You'll find a tackle box over there on the table. You can fish from right here on the dock, but the fish always seem to bite a little better on down a ways from here. Then, of course, if you're not too sore from yesterday, there's that. . ." He pointed to two sets of water-skis that were hanging on the wall, above the fishing poles.

"I really want to ski. . .I've always wanted to ski. . .Can't you teach me?" Carl was bouncing up and down and pulling on Billy's shirt.

Billy laughed. "There's nothing to it." He looked at everyone, one at a time. "So," he said, smiling. "D'ya think it was worth the walk?"

"You bet." said Daryl, as he put his arm around the big man. "This. . .this is my new home, and nobody can ever make me leave here. Nobody. . ." He held up his crossbow, just to solidify his point.

Rick spoke up. "Well, what's for dinner, tonight? Fish or game?"

"We should have set up the campsite here. . ." said Carol.

"Well," Michonne answered. "That's a long way to walk. . .and building that fence is hard work."

"You're right." Billy stated. "And it's going to get harder, dealing with the fencing. The stuff is heavy and hard to handle, due mostly to it's shear bulk."

"Yeah, but that's tomorrow." Glen said, grinning. "Right now, let's go skinny-dipping!" He took his shirt off again. Maggie walked in front of him and gave the boy a real dirty look. He apologized with his eyes, and put his shirt back on.

"Oh," Billy said. "That's another thing. . .the skinny-dipping. . ."

"Yeah?" said Beth, flirting with her eyes.

He took off his backpack, and produced a handful of swimming suits. "There's no need."

The girls squealed, as he passed the backpack over to them.

"Of course, if you really want to. . .uh. . ."

Beth laughed. "Maybe later, Mr. Man. . .that is, if you're a good boy."

"Oh, I'll be good. . .promise! Uh. . .wait a minute!" he said, as he dug into the backpack and pulled something out. "There's sunglasses in there, too." he said with a grin, as he put his glasses on. ". . .and sunscreen".

Michonne called out, "Okay, girls in the cabin. . .boys in the boathouse. Last one in the water is a slimy walker!" She pulled the men's suits and sunglasses out of the backpack and handed them over.

Rick pulled Billy aside, as the girls took their suits into the cabin. "Speakin' of walkers, I haven't seen any."

Billy patted Rick on the back. "It's fenced off. I'm just guessing these fences held. . .I mean, I haven't seen any slime-balls."

"Jes' the same, maybe we should stay ready. . .jes' in case. You know what I mean?"

"Well, Rick. . .think about the number of walkers bumping into that electric fence, and how many we've seen on this side of the fence. I'd say it's probably a safe bet that we're okay here."

Rick wasn't convinced. "Well, okay. . .but how about in the lake?"

"Well, if you're really worried about it, there's scuba gear in the boat. There should be about two hours of air in the tanks. . .so knock yourself out!"

"Really?" Rick said in semi-disbelief. "I haven't been scuba divin' in years. . .so. . .uh. . .yeah! Y'know, jes' to be sure everyone is safe."

"Oh, of course." Billy said with a grin. "I've got a spear-gun, too. Just in case you find a big ol' mud cat, down on the bottom."

"I don't know about that." Rick said, "I might just stick a few bass, though. . .y'know, for dinner."

Once everyone had changed into their swimming attire, Billy uncovered the boat, and lowered it slowly into the water. Rick put the scuba gear on, and was ready to head out as the girls were just getting to the boathouse. Billy said, "Now, Rick. . .you need to remember to stay low. By that, I mean, at least a yard under the surface, 'cause I'm betting the girls are gonna wanna go water-ski. We'll be out in the middle of the lake, travelin' real fast. . .so try to only come up toward the sides of the lake. The best bet is to make it to the dock, if you can. There's ladders in the water all along the dock. Oh, and, here. . .take this stringer, and clip it to your tank straps. . .just in case you find a bass or seven or eight!"

He gave Rick a pat on the back, and said, "Go on and have some fun."

Rick nodded and spit onto the mask. After rubbing it around a bit, he pulled the mask over his eyes. He, then, put the air hose in his mouth, and jumped into the crystalline water.

"Was that Rick?" Carol said, as she led the girls into the boathouse.

"Yeah, he's gonna get us some fresh bass for dinner. In the meantime, kids. . .who's ready to check out the lake?" He placed his captains' hat on his head, and started handing out life-jackets.

Everyone seemed eager to get into the boat. . .except for Daryl. He said he was just fine sittin' on the porch. Carol and Michonne decided to hang back and sun themselves on the dock. Besides, someone had to look after Judith. The girls took the skis down from their place on the wall, then they piled into the boat.

Billy took everyone on a quick tour of the lake, driving the boat perpendicular to the shoreline. Once they made their first trip around, Billy told Carl to take the wheel.

He was ecstatic. "Really? You want me to drive the boat?"

"Probably less chance of you crashing this into a tree." Billy said, snickering beneath his breath. "Look, you see the pointy part of the boat?" Carl nodded. Billy continued, "Just point that into the direction you want to go."

". . .and," he added. "Don't get too close to the shoreline. Your dad is under there, somewhere, and we wouldn't want to hit him with the propellers."

Carl steered while Billy showed him how to manipulate the speed. He took to it very quickly, and was having the time of his life.

"Billy?" Maggie tapped him on the shoulder.

Billy turned to face her.

"How come you got us girls these one piece bathing suits? I figured you for more of a bikini man."

"Guess I should have let you guys get your own from town, but. . .well, this place is very special to me. I hope it will be special for you guys, too. I just wanted it to be a surprise, so. . ." He held his palms up. "Surprise!"

Maggie pushed her elbow lightly into Beth's ribs. "You better kiss this big lug before I do it."

"Hey!" said Glen, as Maggie laughed. Beth put her arms around Billy's neck. In a little girl's voice, she said, "This is my boyfriend. . ." and she kissed his cheek. She continued, "He's a good boyfriend. He takes us skiing on his speedboat."

Billy had Carl to stop the boat out on the far end of the lake. "Okay, girls, who's up first?" He connected the tow rope to the back.

Maggie said, "Ooo, me. . .me. . ."

"Oh, no!" Beth said, "My boyfriend, my turn!" With that, she jumped into the water. Billy handed the skis over the side. He told Carl to sit in the chair facing the back of the boat.

"Carl, you're gonna be my spotter. What that means is that you're gonna tell me when she falls, or lets go of the tow rope. And, Carl. . .never ever ski on water without a spotter. Understand?"

"Eye-Eye, Captain." He saluted.

It took a minute for Beth to get her skis on, but once she was ready to go, daddy, they went. . ."

She was up in a matter of seconds, and Billy started to open her up. Beth was good, bouncing over the wakes from the motor. . .skiing from side to side. It was such a good run, Billy turned the boat around, and took her for another run from the other direction. Once they arrived at the area from where they started, Beth dropped the tow rope, throwing her hands into the air, and letting out a big, "Ya-hoo!"

Maggie made her run next, followed by Glen. He wasn't as graceful as the girls, but he managed to get the skis under him, and had a pretty good run.

It was Carl's turn. He was a little bit scared, but he wanted to ski more than he was afraid to try, so. . .

He kind of flubbed his first try. He managed to get out of the water for a moment on his second attempt, before face planting on the surface. The girls made horrible faces when he hit. . .it was not pretty. But, Carl being Carl, said he was okay, and was ready to try again. The next try, he was up and skiing. He managed to stay up all the way across the lake, and the look on his face was priceless. Billy let him reset, and they made another run. Again, he was up with his skis under him, and stayed that way all the way to the other side.

Glen asked Billy if he wanted to make a run himself, but he said that he was 'Billy the Boater', and that nothing could keep him from his scared task of driving the speedboat.

After several passes from each skier, Bill slowly pulled the boat up to the place where the girls were sunning themselves on the dock. Beth jumped out and asked Carol and Michonne if they wanted to ski. They said no, but they wouldn't mind taking a little spin around the lake. Glen and Maggie hopped out of the boat, while Billy handed the skis over the side to Beth.

Carl was a little perturbed. "What? You mean, we're done skiing already? But. . .but we just got started."

"Com'on, now, Carl. . .let's give everyone a chance."

"But it's still early. . .won't be dark for at least a couple of hours."

"Carl, the lake isn't going anywhere. . .it'll be here tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on. Even after we're all dead and gone, this wonderful place will still be here. . .for others to enjoy as much as we do. Just knowin' that this place is here sort of keeps me grounded. . .keeps me from becoming, 'Billy the Big-shot'."

"You mean, instead of 'Billy the Bummer-head'?"

Billy could not believe that Carl said that. When he turned to look at him. . .

Carl stuck out his tongue and blew him a raspberry. "Pffffft!"

He laughed a little, and said, "Gee, I guess it's your job now to keep me grounded?

Carl said, "Well, it's a dirty job, but. . ."

Billy took great delight in tossing Carl into the water. . .kicking and screaming. Then he took Michonne and Carol around the lake a few times.

Carl was crawling up the ladder when something grabbed him from behind. It must have taken him by surprise, because he let out with a little. . .sound.

"Ahhhh!" He spun around, as his dad was removing his mask. "Aw, Dad!"

Rick removed his mouthpiece and laughed a little. "Did you think I was one of those giant catfish everyone talks about?"

Carl scampered up the ladder. Once he was on the dock, Rick handed him a stringer, with a dozen good sized bass on it. "It was like killing walkers with the 'Ek'. Poor fish didn't stand a chance." he said, as he took off his fins, and climbed the ladder himself. "So, what've you been up to all day?"

Carl was excited. "Dad, I water-skied!"

"Great!" said Rick. "Did you get up the first time?"

"Well. . .uh. . .no. But it was like the third time. . .and I went all the way across the lake. . .twice!"

"Guess we need to find a great big inner tube."

"Uh. . .what for?"

"Well. . .never mind. Why don't you run up to the cabin, and ask the girls for a knife to clean these fish with."

Billy was just pulling back up to the dock as Rick was finishing up with the last fish.

"Billy! Check out these beauties!"

Bill pulled his sunglasses down and looked at the filets. "Wow! Those are some nice fish, Rick. Any trouble with the spear gun?"

"No, not at all."

"Kind of like shooting fish in a barrel, huh?"

Rick didn't know just how to take that.

"And who ever made that one up. Because of the way water refracts the light, it's almost impossible to shoot a fish in a barrel."

Rick just shook his head. "Okay, if you say so. . .anyway, think we might find a frying pan in that cabin of yours?"

Daryl joined Rick on the dock. "Rick, I keep tryin' to tell him. . .this is my cabin. It's my lake. . .and this is where I live now. Say, those are some good lookin' fish. Did those come outa my lake?"

Rick was dumbfounded for a moment, then Billy said, "Uh. . .we don't need a frying pan. Ya'll go look on the other side of the cabin, while I park the boat for the evening."

The two of them took a little look on the other side of the cabin. There was a gigantic stone grill, and three redwood picnic tables, placed side by side in a long, straight row.

Daryl sneered. "See, Rick! I told you this is my cabin. And this is my gigantic grill, and I am never leaving this, my home, again. I won't leave here, and you can't make me!"

Rick guessed that everyone must've gone crazy while he was under the water.

In no time at all, Billy had the grill fired up, and they were all enjoying the fresh fish. After resting for a little while, Billy thought it would be a good idea for them to head back, just so they weren't stumbling through the woods in the dark.

The sun was just starting to go down when they exited into a field, and squeezed through the fence.

"It's not fair!" Daryl grumbled. "Make a southern man leave his home. . .why. . .I should be sittin' on my porch right now. . .eatin' th' fresh fish I just caught from my lake. . ."

They all could relate, but there was still work to be done, and everyone sacked out early.

Once again, the entire crew was up before dawn. Billy had loaded the back of the flat-bed with rolls of fencing. By lunchtime, everyone was begging for mercy. By dark, they were all ready to lay down and die. By midnight, though, they were finished, and Billy hung a sign at eye level that said, 'No Trespassing'. Slowly, they crawled back to the campsite. . .feeling more dead than alive. No one talked. . .no one joked. . .they just silently crawled into their sleeping bags and passed out.

It was way after sunup before anyone even attempted to stand on their feet. Even then, it was a slow go. Billy claimed to be as sore as everyone else, but no one believed him. After finishing his first cup of coffee, Daryl started asking if everyone was ready to go back to the lake.

"Are you nuts?" Glen said. "I don't think I could even make it back to the car."

"But it's my home. . .the one place where I really belong."

Rick looked at Daryl, grimacing. "Wish we could go back right now, but once we're done here, we've got a good week of huntin' the walkers. Y'know, the ones that made it inside while the fences were down."

"Uhhh," Daryl growled, as he walked over for more coffee.

Billy was just coming in from working through the night. "Coffee. . .good!" He walked over and poured himself a cup. "I got the electric fence rolled up. . .think I'll just leave those posts, just in case we ever had to do this again. I moved the generators, except for this one protecting out back, and all the left over stuff. It'll probably take a season or two for the kudzu to grow back. I think I got all the walkers from behind us, and loaded them up on the flat-bed, but we should probably leave here and head over to the east side. Those are the ones that'd be heading towards town."

"Okay, crew. . .lock 'n load. Let's get this camp rolled up, an' get about to this nasty business." Rick said, with that 'I'm gonna kill sumthin'' look on his face. Like a well-oiled machine, the camp was picked up and loaded away. Billy and Glen went to dump off the camping gear, and to take all the dead walkers to the crushers. Rick lined everyone up shoulder to shoulder, then had everyone to spread out to the point where they could just see each other, and started walking along the fence line. Even with everyone being that far apart, the smell of the 'Ek' was still abundant as everyone activated their necklaces. The group piled the dead walkers up for Billy and Glen to pick up as they headed toward the east fence. Once they got to the bend in the partition, they found another small section of fence that had been taken down. It wasn't that big of a hole, but it was too big not to fix. Rick tried to call Billy, but there was no service that far from the town's towers. Rick brought everyone in for a lunch break as they waited for Billy and Glen to catch up with them. They sat at the break in the fence, while Carol and Beth passed out sandwiches and sodas to everyone.

Rick sat on the ground, and said, "Damn, it's a little warm today."

"That's why they call it,' summer', dad!" said Carl, as he took off his hat.

Rick laughed, and said, "Well, I sure am glad they finally came up with a name for it."

Suddenly, from the woods off to the right of the break in the fence, someone said, "Holy shit, sarge. . .look! Survivors!"

Everyone jumped to their feet, as someone else yelled, "You've gotta be kiddin' me!"

The crew raised their weapons, as a young man wearing green cammy's stepped out from behind a tree. "Howdy, ya'll. . .now, don't shoot! We're all on the same team!"

"Who are you?" Rick screamed, his handgun still raised.

"I'm corporal Stanley Wiggins, fourth infantry. . .U. S. Army."

Another voice from the woods said, "Where're you at, Stanley?"

He called back, "Over here, Sarge!" Another man joined him. He was also in camouflage fatigues, with a buzzed haircut. . .he was short and stocky, and the smoke from his short cigar wrapped around his head. His cigar fell from his mouth as his jaw dropped. After a few moments, he said, "No shit, Stanley! Uh. . .Hey, ya'll. . .don't shoot!" He holstered his weapon. "Is it all right if I come over?"

Rick dropped his arm, and looked over to Daryl. He shrugged. After a moment, he said, "Uh. . .okay, sure, com'on. . .but slow and steady, now."

The sergeant laughed nervously, "I'll bet you poor people have had your share of danger out here like this. . .how did ya'll survive?"

Rick stayed serious. "By not trustin' just everyone we've seen!"

"I'll bet that's true!" the sarge shouted back, as more infantry men started to gather around Stanley. Once he broke out of the woods, Rick said, "That's far enough!"

The Sarge grinned nervously. "We don't mean ya'll any harm. You are the first survivors we've seen in weeks. I'm Sergeant Greg Lawson, fourth infantry." He observed the fence line, and said, "Did ya'll put up this fence?"

"What can I do for you, Sergeant?"

The sarge laughed. "What can you do for me?" He laughed even louder. "Look, we're just on our way up to the front. How the hell did ya'll manage to survive this long out here in the middle of. . ."

"My name is Rick Grimes!" Rick shouted, as he started walking towards the sergeant. The soldier held out his hand. "Well, Mr. Grimes. . .I sure am happy to see you. It must've been hell out here for you. Uh. . .are you and your people alright? Does anyone need to see a doctor?"

Rick finally holstered his weapon. "No, sir. . .I do believe that my people are all well and good for the present."

"Well, that's just fine!" the sergeant chuckled. "Say, do you mind if I bring my corporal over here, sir?"

"Uh, no. . .I guess that'd be alright."

He raised him arm, and motioned with his hand. "Corporal Wiggins. . .could you come over here?"

"Yes, sir, Sarge!" he yelled, as he ran over to him. "Get hold of Colonel McCloud. . .tell him we've located survivors at these coordinates." He turned back towards Rick. "I'm sure he'd like to talk to you, himself."

"How many people have you got, Sergeant?"

He pulled a fresh cigar from his pocket, and offered it to Rick. He took it, and the sarge pulled out a fresh one for himself. "There's an entire battalion just over that hill. It's just blind luck that we found ya'll over here." He bit off the tip of his cigar and pulled out his Zippo. "We're on our way to the front up near Knoxville. That's where all the heavy fighting' is." He lit Rick's cigar first, then his own.

"If you don't mind me askin'. . .just who are ya'll fighting'?"

"Why, the dead, of course. Who've ya'll been fighting'?"

"Hell, everyone!" said Rick, without missing a beat. "Seems like everyone's tryin' to kill us for one damn reason or another."

The sergeant stopped smiling. "It's worse up north. Chicago to D. C., there aren't any survivors at all. New England, most of Canada. . .all gone."

"My God!" said Rick.

"The President managed to get out of D. C. before the epidemic killed off everyone. He's in a hidden location right now, and all the military has been mobilized."

"Any idea as to what happened?"

"Don't know. The main theory is a bio-weapon. . .but no one has taken responsibility yet. Probably Iran. . .Syria. . .there's lots of people that hate us. . .just for breathin'." He looked over Rick's shoulder at the rest of the crew. "Say, do ya'll need some food? Anybody hungry?"

Rick noticed that the flat-bed had just pulled up. "No, sergeant. I think we're good."

"Amazing." he said. "That must be one helluva fence."

"I've got a real good crew." Rick said, smiling.

A tall man wearing a formal military uniform came down the hill, and all the men at the bottom stood at attention and saluted.

"Here's Colonel McCloud now." The sergeant motioned for the Colonel to join them. As he approached, he snapped to attention, and saluted.

"At ease, sergeant!" he said in an authoritative tone. He stuck out his hand. "Colonel Thomas McCloud, United States Army."

"Rick Grimes," he said. "Uh. . .Sherriff."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Grimes." He turned his head. "That will be all, Sergeant."

Again, he snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir, Colonel." He turned and walked back to his unit.

"Mr. Grimes, a horrible atrocity has befallen us. Our enemies have released a horrible virus upon our peace-lovin' people. We have withstood a grave calamity. . .as I am sure you have witnessed for yourself."

"Uh. . .yes, sir.

"Well," he continued, "Our enemies have greatly under-estimated our resolve. As we speak, intelligence is being gathered to find the perpetrator of this vile act, and an appropriate response will be forthcoming. Now, sir. . .you and your people have somehow withstood this calamity. Are you in need of food, or medical assistance at this time?"

"Uh. . .no, sir. We have managed to survive, so far."

"You and your people are more than welcome to accompany us to the next vestige of population. We can guarantee your safety to that location."

"Well, if it's all the same to you, sir. . .and I can speak for all of my people. . .we'd rather just stay where we are. . .no offence."

"None taken, sir. We are on our way to encounter the enemy, and make our sovereign soil safe for all of our people."

"Uh. . .Thank you?"

"Good day, sir. . .and may God be with you." He took a few steps toward his people, but stopped and turned around. "By the way, we would never have found you had it not been for this hole in your fence. And may I say, 'Bravo'! This is the best camouflage I've ever seen."

With that, the Colonel walked back to his people. By the time Billy and Glen made it over to meet Rick, the army was on their way north to meet the enemy.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Daryl pulled his hammer-like apparatus from a dead walker's head. "What's up, Rick? You're not puttin' these walker's down with yer usual enthusiasm." he said, grinning.

Rick shook his head. "I jes' hate second-guessin' myself."

"What d'ya mean?"

"I. . .I think that maybe, I should-a gave that Colonel the serum. Or. . .or, maybe, jes' showed him the 'Ek' an' how easy it is to put these bastards down. . ."

"Yeah. . .maybe. . .who knows? Maybe th' best thing is to protect yer own. That's what makes sense to me."

"Yeah. . .well. . .I jes' don't know."

"Tell ya what I know. I know that I jes' love these new hammer-things Billy made for us." With that, he popped another walker in the head with something that looked like a hammer, with a spike where the flat part usually is."

Rick smiled, "Yeah. . .these things are pretty sweet."

"Looks like Carl's havin' a good time, too!" Carl was dispatching walkers with a long spear type thing. "Kinda takes away that edge they had. . .y'know. . .with him bein' so short an' all."

"Hey!" shouted Carl. "Who'er you callin' short?"

"Jes' speakin' of yer temper, little man!" Daryl called out, as he put another one down.

Billy pulled up in the flat-bed. "Looks like ya'll found quite a little nest here. My, my. . .what a mess."

Glen jumped out from the passenger side. "Well, let's get this cleaned up. . .Maggie's cooking tonight, and I don't want to miss it."

Daryl said, "I didn't know Maggie could cook."

Glen cleared his throat. "Well, that's what she calls it, anyway. . .you know. . .cooking."

Everyone laughed.

Carl took off his hat and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "D'ya think this is where they came from?"

"I think so, Carl," Rick said. "Hope so, anyway. I don't really cotton ta having my Sunday dinner interrupted."

Daryl looked around. "Well, this is the only group we've found this week. Must be where the walker came from.

Billy and Glen started tossing bodies on to the back of the flat-bed. Billy laughed, "Actually, it was kinda funny, Rick. . .you about to bite into that chicken leg, and that walker about to bite into yours."

"It was too close to be funny." Rick sneered.

"You're right about that!" chuckled Billy. "Just to be on the safe side, we probably should check the north fence. . .just to see that it's holding."

Daryl suddenly brightened up. "Maybe we could visit my cabin on my lake. . .I mean, since we'll be there in the neighborhood, anyway."

"I don't see why not." Rick said, "Summer's almost done, anyway. Might as well have us one last whoop-te-doo."

Daryl slapped his hands together. "Hot damn! Lake Dixon here we come!"

"Sounds like a plan. . .guess we could just camp out for about a week. . .might as well get it out of our system before the cold comes."

Glen leaned up against the back of the truck. "Might be a good chance for us to find out what those Greene girls are up to."

"No shit!" Billy agreed.

"What're ya talkin' about?" Rick asked.

Billy and Glen threw another body on the back of the truck. Glen said, "Maggie and Beth are up to something. . .and they're not letting us in on it."

"They've been whispering and laughing about something all week. . .been driving me bat-shit."

"Me, too!" Glen said, shaking his head. "And I don't think it has anything to do with fried chicken recipes."

The next day, everyone headed out to the lake for a late-summer getaway. They stopped by the northern fence briefly, where everything still looked rock solid. Daryl, who was always 'Mr. Cool' when it came to dealing with just about anything, was acting like an obnoxious kid the night before going to Disney World. . .just couldn't wait to get back to the lake. . .the woods, and the cabin. . .hunting and fishing. There was just something about 'roughing it' out at the lake that made Daryl fucking crazy. . .and he was bound and determined to take the rest of the crew with him on his excursion into glorious madness on the crazy train. It was so bad, everyone decided to let Daryl have the cabin all by himself. Glen and Maggie had their little pup tent. . .Billy and Beth stayed in the big tent with the baby. Rick and Carl brought their own pup, and Carol and Mishonne doubled up. It probably wouldn't have been so bad, except that Daryl just planted his ass in the rocker on the porch, and didn't move for the entire week. He didn't hunt. . .didn't fish. . .hell, he didn't even stay up late. He just sat on the porch, rocked in the chair, stared at the lake and grunted whenever anyone talked to him.

But, it wasn't just Daryl. Beth and Maggie refused to go skiing, much to Carl's dismay. Oh, they went out on the lake. . .they'd ride in the boat, as long as they didn't have to be out in the sun for very long. They spent most of the week underneath a big beach umbrella on the shore. Billy and Glen were kind of crabby, too. . .apparently, the girl's weren't being really. . .uh. . .nurturing, when it came to the boys. Basically, Carol and Mishonne ended up doing all of the work, and received none of the glory.

It was beginning to feel like everyone may have become just a little too familiar with each other. . .

By the end of the week, everyone was ready to leave the lake. . .including Mr.

Daryl Dixon. They all gathered at the picnic tables to eat lunch before they packed up the campsite, and hiked back to their cars. Everyone sat there in silence, and ate their sandwiches. But then, something amazing happened. Beth produced a small box from underneath the table. It was rectangular, with blue paper and a red ribbon wrapped around it. She placed it carefully in front of Billy.

Glen put his head down, and whispered, "Here it comes. . ." to himself.

"What's this?" Billy said, quietly.

The blonde smiled out of one side of her mouth. "This is for you." she said, flatly.

"For me?" he said, as he glared at her.

"Um-hum. . ." she said, trying hard not to look into his eyes.

"So. . .uh. . .what's the occasion?"

"Oh. . .it's a surprise." she said, using that 'little girl' tone of hers.

He picked it up, and tapped it on the table. "Uh. . .I didn't get you anything."

"Uh. . .yeah, you did!"

"I did?" he said, setting the box carefully in front of him.

"Um-hum." she said, still doing the voice, and rolling her eyes. "Open it." she said.

"Now. . ." he said, "Right here. . .in front of everyone?"

"Um-hum!" she said.

He didn't move a muscle, he just stared at her face for what seemed to be a lifetime. "What is it?" he said, eventually.

"Oh, fer Christ's sake. . .will you jes' open the goddamn box?" Daryl screamed.

Billy picked up the box, looked it over again. . .then put it to his nose and smelled it.

Daryl's face turned red. "Today!" he screamed.

Billy slowly. . .carefully, used his index finger and thumb to grab the red ribbon, and pulled it. The ribbon fell out of it's knot, and dropped to the table. Billy followed the ribbon with his eyes all the way down to the picnic table. Then, he looked up at Daryl, who was still staring at him.

Quietly, Daryl said, "You never got presents when you were little, did ya?"

Billy looked at him, and said, "I was never. . .little." After a moment, he carefully stripped the paper, folded it neatly, and set the naked box back down on the table.

By this point, all eyes were transfixed on the box. Slowly, Billy took the top off, and stared at what was inside. Then, he looked at Beth.

Suddenly, his voice began to quiver. "Beth. . ." he said, "Wh. . .wh. . .what is this?"

"Well," she said, matter-of-factly. "I'm guessing it's either a boy or a girl!"

Billy took out the e. p. t. so everyone could see the 'plus' sign in the window.

Carol went nuts. "Beth. . .oh, my God! Beth. . .how long have you known?"

Billy turned pale-white, and had trouble remembering how to breathe.

Glen suddenly burst out into a major horse-laugh, and pointed his finger at Billy.

"Billy. . .Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy. . ." he laughed much, much too loudly. "Lookie here at what you did! I knew. . .I knew you girls were up to something! I knew it. . .I knew it. . .I knew it! Oh, Billy, Billy. . .you're gonna make one helluva daddy, Billy." He laughed way to loud and too long.

Maggie seemed quite perturbed. "Really, Glen. . .really?"

Glen was having trouble breathing himself. With only half the amount of breath it actually takes to talk, he half-whispered, "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!"

Maggie looked out over the lake for a moment, then put a small box, wrapped in exactly the same way in front of Glen.

Suddenly, things didn't seem quite so funny anymore.

Everyone seemed a little freaked at the news that both of the Greene girls were pregnant at the same time, but it was really a nice type of freaked. Billy took to the idea of parenthood quickly, and would let Beth do nothing when it came to breaking camp. He even made her ride on his back all the way back to where they had left the cars. Once they arrived there, Mishonne noticed something odd. It seemed like there was a pillar of smoke, emulating from east of where they had left their vehicles. Since they were all there together, they all decided to go to check it out. Soon, they found themselves heading directly toward the patch they had made to the eastern fence.

There, at the exact place where they had encountered the Army before, they discovered Corporal Wiggins and a handful of other uniformed personnel, tending to a large bonfire just feet from that patch in the fence.

"Thank God, you spotted our smoke-signal," Corporal Wiggins stated. The young man looked like he had walked through hell. The others he was with fared no better. They were all dirty, and beat up. . .many of those soldiers dressed with blood-soaked bandages.

Rick looked over the troop in disbelief. "Corporal Wiggins, where is the rest of your unit?"

"This is all of us that's left." he stated, flatly.

"How about your C. O., Colonel McCloud?"

"He's dead, sir. . .along with just about everyone else. Sergeant Lawson was blinded. . ."

"Well, what the hell happened?"

"Well, we had just arrived in Tennessee, when we heard that the dead had over-run Washington. The President made it out just before the city fell. . .he was taken to an undisclosed location, but continued to call the shots. We heard that New York, Chicago. . .pretty much everywhere north of the Mason-Dixon had already fallen to the dead. We tried our best, but we were just overrun." He stared off into the distance as he talked, and he began to cry. "There were just too goddamned many of them! They. . .they overran our lines. . .they ate our compadres. Some said they saw the ones that got bit rise back up an' fight for the dead. We had to shoot our friends before they turned. It was like. . .like the end of the world. That's what we all thought. But that was before they dropped the bomb."

"Which bomb?" Rick asked, just to see if the Corporal was still with them.

"_THE_ bomb. The great big, mutha-fuckin' bomb. The kind that makes your sergeant go totally blind if'n he don't remember not to look at the fireball. The kind that cooks everyone around you from the inside out."

"Jesus!" said Daryl, seeing the pure horror in the young man's eyes.

The corporal eased up a bit. "We were the lucky ones. . .we got away. . .we few. They didn't drop the biggest ones on Knoxville. They'd already dropped those on New York and Chicago. . .Detroit. . .y'know, the big population centers. I don't know anything 'bout the west coast."

"We can only hope. . ." said Carol, who was obviously moved by the soldiers' oration.

"But that ain't all. . .", he continued. "There's somethin' else. When we got to this fence, I remembered you guys, so we lit this fire, hopin' ya'll'd find us. I gotta warn you. . ."

Rick kind of snickered beneath his breath, in spite of himself. "Warn us about what?"

"Well. . ." the corporal was downright serious. "Once they dropped the big bombs on New York an' Chicago. . .somethin' happened to the dead. At least, the one's that weren't vaporized or that weren't too decayed or torn up by the blast. It was kinda like. . .like a fight or flight response. We felt the shockwave and then we saw the cloud swallow up the dead by the thousands. But, then. . .out of the smoke. . .the dead came. Not slow and meandering like before. . .but runnin'. . .runnin' as fast as their feet and legs would carry them. And they were black as soot, except for their eyes and teeth. And they destroyed everythin' in their path. Everythin'. . .they rolled over the land, like. . .like waves on the seashore. Thousands of them, so thick, that all you can see is black, and as far as the eye could see in either direction. We managed to catch a transport outside-a Gatlinburg. . .the pilot told us that the dead from Chicago and the dead from New York were all converging on us. They dumped us off, 'bout five or six miles from here and was headin' on toward the everglades. We built this here fire, hopin' ya'll see it, so we could warn you. . .the runnin' dead are comin'. . .movin' straight south. They don't sleep. . .they don't rest. . .and they're headin' right for ya. . .thousands of them. . .and it could be even more. This here planet now belongs to the dead, so, ya'll need to gather up whatever you can, and move south as fast as you can."

"Now, jes'. . .jes' wait a minute. . ."

"We ain't gonna be able to wait on ya'll, now. . .we gotta go. I had a tough time convincin' the rest of 'em to stop long enough to build this here signal fire. Just. . .just head south as quick as ya can."

"How long do ya think we got? Y'know, 'til they get here?"

"I dunno, for sure. I'd guess, probably. . .say, three or four days, at best. That's jes' a guess, mind ya. Ya'll just need to get th' fuck outa Dodge."

"Stanley!" called one of the other soldiers. "We're movin' out!"

"Right!" he yelled back. He turned back to Rick. "Mind me, now, sheriff. . .Get your people, and ya'll move along straight south. And I wish ya'll the best of luck."

"Uh. . .thanks, corporal. Thanks for the warning."

With that, the corporal and his troops started moving south just outside of the east fence. Carol looked up and said, "What're we gonna do, Rick?"

Rick looked to Billy, then to Daryl, who spit on the ground and said, "I'll be damned if I'm gonna give up my goddamn lake. . ."

The vote was unanimous. . .between the girls being pregnant, and Daryl's lake. . .everyone agreed that life without their little hamlet wouldn't really be worth living. Billy asked everyone over and over if they were absolutely sure this is what they wanted to do. I guess maybe he didn't realize that this was now their home, even if they weren't born on the plantation to the town's relative genius. Maybe he didn't realize how close they had all become since he first discovered Carl, Beth and the baby in the woods. The truth of the matter was that he had promised each and every one of them that their nightmare was now over. Now, it looked like he was going to have to eat those words, and he hated that. He just didn't know. . .he didn't know if the 'Ek' would work on this new brand of walker. . .'runners', the corporal had called them. He didn't know if you could put them down by destroying their brain. Hell, for all he knew, these new walkers could 'eat' brains. The only thing he knew for sure was that they were all going to make their last stand here. . .for their little town, and for each other. And, especially, for their babies. . .

Billy was like a madman, and the pounding from his forge went on day and night. He wouldn't let anyone else help him with whatever it was he was doing in there. He finally came out sometime during the third night, and moved a ton of stuff with the flat-bed. He awoke everyone with a 911 call before dawn on the fourth day. . .and had everyone to meet at the warehouse. They moved every bit of armament they had put away to just behind the northern fence. Billy had even dug out a couple of large caliber automatic weapons he had stashed.

Billy had been a very, very busy boy. He had designed a type of bracing for the fence, that would make it much, much harder to bring down. He also had developed a form of liquid titanium that was to improve the tensile-strength of the fences by something like five-hundred percent. He didn't really know if the fence would have time to dry. He mentioned that it might even explode when the runners hit it. But, there was no time for testing his theories, or his mathematics. His basic idea was to keep them alive long enough for the waves of runners to run on past them as they fought from behind the fence. . .that is, if it held up. This was their endgame, and they were all in.

He had buried all of the explosives they had gathered in the fields in front of the northern fence. He had Daryl on the tractor, digging trenches they would fill with what gasoline they had saved, and laundry detergent. . .sort of a 'redneck napalm'. He said he didn't hold much hope for it, as these 'runners' managed to survive extreme radiation in order to attack them here at this last vestige for humanity. . .aw, to hell with it. They were just throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at their enemy.

Just for good measure, and to make sure they used every idea they had, Billy hung an extremely large and stinky 'Ek' on the fence directly in front of where they would be. . .in hopes that, maybe, if nothing else worked, maybe the stench would drive away the impending horde.

It all seemed to be one large exercise in futility. But, they had to try. . .that was the bottom line. That's what got them to this place in time. . .and time had run out.

Uh. . .well, almost. The 'runners' didn't show until the afternoon of the fifth day. They had seen the coal black cloud as it wafted into the air on the horizon. An hour later, they heard the first explosions. Fifteen minutes after that, they actually saw the first 'runners', and the corporal wasn't at all mistaken about their resolve. . .or their numbers. They were, indeed, not unlike waves breaking on the beach. . .the black sea water as far as the eye could see in either direction. Rick ran over and opened the huge 'Ek' on the fence, then took his place at the front of his crew. They opened up with everything they had, and when the 'runners' hit the fence, they used the last weapon any of them had left. . .

_They screamed_.

As the black cloud began to settle, they could hear the sound of each of them trying to hack up a lung. Daryl caught some breath first, and, through his coughing, asked Carl if he would mind 'closin' that infernal stinkin' thing up'. Carl fell backwards into the fence, then, once he found his legs again, complied with Daryl's request. Carol found her voice next, complaining that her mouth was open. Everyone said their's was, too. . .then, slowly, they began to realize that they were still alive. Glen whispered, "Haz-zah?", and they looked at each other. They looked like the lead act in a minstrel show. . .each and every one of them, black as soot, from head to foot. . .except for their eyes.

Beth asked the question they were all asking. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," said Billy. He thought about it for a moment, then said, "The answer may be in something the corporal had said. . .how radiation cooked from the inside out. Maybe they'd all been baking on the inside for the last couple of days. Once they hit the fence, they just. . .disintegrated."

Beth suddenly screamed, "Oh, my God! Judith!"

She looked down, to the place behind her where she had set the baby. Her blanket was there, although it was as black as everyone else. The baby on the inside was clean, and breathing a lot easier than any of the rest of the crew.

Once everyone had some water, and washed the soot from their eyes, they finally issued their final "Haz-zah!"


	11. Endgame - Epilogue

Epilogue

Throughout the remaining years of the "Dead Wars", the small band of marauders stayed in their little town, where they all continued to live for the rest of their lives. Billy and Beth gave birth to twin girls, who had their daddy wrapped around their little fingers. They spent their life living in the big house on the plantation.

Maggie had a little boy, then put on an extra hundred pounds. She blamed the weight gain on Carol's famous pies, but we all knew it was Glen's fault. He developed a bit of a drinking problem later in life. Their son, Beau (Short for 'Beauregard') became the foreman at the Plantation, where, once again, their world famous peaches were grown.

Rick never forgave himself for not passing on the Doc's serum to the corporal, and made a very difficult and dangerous trip behind enemy lines to personally deliver the serum to the army. Due to his gallantry under fire, he received the 'Metal of Freedom' award from the President, and, in the fullness of time, became Governor of the great state of Georgia. Upon completion of his second term, he moved back to the town where they all discovered their true worth in life.

Billy could've made a fortune from development of the 'Ek', but he gave it away, freely to everyone. It became the main fuel for the next several generations.

After what became to be known as 'The Black Day', many refugees came to find the little town with the big, strong fences. One such person was the towns new doctor, who married Michonne, and raised three children.

Carol opened the only restaurant in town (for it was the only one they needed), and enjoyed a good, long life among her dear friends.

Carl grew up, and became the town sheriff. The only person he ever arrested was Glen - for being drunk and disorderly. He made him serve his sentence in the bank's vault. He married the girl who became the town's school teacher, and they had a daughter, who they named, 'Sophia'.

As for Daryl. . .well. . .

. . .as you might have guessed, Billy and Beth gave Daryl the cabin at the lake. . .and the lake. . .and the woods around the lake. . .then even renamed the lake, 'Lake Dixon'. While cleaning a shotgun, Daryl accidentally shot himself in the foot, and walked with a pronounced limp for the rest of his life. He said that he didn't mind, as he was 'in no hurry to get any damn where'. He cherished his title as 'Uncle Daryl' to all the children in town, and welcomed anyone to swim in his lake.

Judith grew up living out at the plantation house with Billy and Beth and the twins. The twins always insisted that Judith was their 'older sister', and treated her as such. She grew up to be not only smart, but beautiful, as well. Judith attended Harvard Law while her daddy was Governor. Eventually, she found herself married to a man who would one day become President. But, that is another story. . .

_Haz-zah_!

The End


End file.
